different between craft vs finesse

English

Etymology

From Middle English craft, from Old English cræft, from Proto-West Germanic *kraftu, from Proto-Germanic *kraftuz, further origin obscure.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /k???ft/

  Rhymes: -??ft

• (US) IPA^(key): /k?æft/

Noun

craft (countable and uncountable, plural craft or crafts)

1. (uncountable, obsolete) Strength; power; might; force [9th century].
2. (uncountable) Intellectual power; skill; art.
   1. Ability, skilfulness, especially skill in making plans and carrying them into execution; dexterity in managing affairs, adroitness, practical cunning; ingenuity in constructing, dexterity [9th century].
   2. Cunning, art, skill, or dexterity applied to bad purposes; artifice; guile; subtlety; shrewdness as demonstrated by being skilled in deception [13th century].

      Synonyms: craftiness, cunning, foxiness, guile, slyness, wiliness

   3. (obsolete) Occult art, magic [13th century].
3. (countable, obsolete in the general sense) A work or product of art [c. 1000].
   1. (collective or plural) Handmade items, especially domestic or decorative objects; handicrafts [20th century].
4. (countable, obsolete) A device, a means; a magical device, spell or enchantment [13th century].
5. (countable, obsolete) Learning of the schools, scholarship; a branch of learning or knowledge, a science, especially one of the ‘seven liberal arts’ of the medieval universities [13th century].
6. (uncountable) Skill, skilfulness, art, especially the skill needed for a particular profession [9th century].

   Synonyms: craftsmanship, workmanship

7. (countable, plural crafts) A branch of skilled work or trade, especially one requiring manual dexterity or artistic skill, but sometimes applied equally to any business, calling or profession; the skilled practice of a practical occupation [since the 9th century].

   Synonyms: art, trade, handicraft, business, profession

8. (countable) A trade or profession as embodied in its practitioners collectively; the members of a trade or handicraft as a body; an association of these; a trade's union, guild, or ‘company’ [15th century].

9. (countable, plural craft) A vehicle designed for navigation in or on water or air or through outer space [since the 17th century].
   1. (nautical) Boats, especially of smaller size than ships. Historically primarily applied to vessels engaged in loading or unloading of other vessels, as lighters, hoys, and barges.
   2. (nautical, British Royal Navy) Those vessels attendant on a fleet, such as cutters, schooners, and gun-boats, generally commanded by lieutenants.
   3. (figuratively) A woman.

      • “A tight little craft,” was Austin’s invariable comment on the matron; and she looked it, always trim and trig and smooth of surface like a converted yacht cleared for action.

10. (countable, fishing) Implements used in catching fish, such as net, line, or hook. Modern use primarily in whaling, as in harpoons, hand-lances, etc. [17th century].

Usage notes

The plural craft is used to refer to vehicles. All other senses use the plural crafts.

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

craft (third-person singular simple present crafts, present participle crafting, simple past and past participle crafted)

1. To make by hand and with much skill.
2. To construct, develop something (like a skilled craftsman).

   state crafting; the process of crafting global policing

3. (video games) To combine multiple items to form a new item, such as armour or medicine.

Derived terms

• crafter
• uncrafted

Translations

References

• Krueger, Dennis (December 1982). "Why On Earth Do They Call It Throwing?" Studio Potter Vol. 11, Number 1 (journal website).

Anagrams

• fract

Old Dutch

Alternative forms

• kraft, creft

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *kraft-.

Noun

craft f

1. strength, power, force

Descendants

• Middle Dutch: cracht, craft
  • Dutch: kracht
    • Afrikaans: krag
  • Limburgish: krach

Further reading

• “kraht”, in Oudnederlands Woordenboek, 2012

English

Etymology

From Middle English f?nesse (“degree of excellence; (of metal) fineness, purity”), from Middle French finesse, Old French finesse (“fineness; delicacy; slenderness”), from fine, fin (“fine, thin”) (from Latin f?nis (“end”); compare Middle English f?n (“of superior quality; precious, valuable; admirable, pleasing; pure, refined; fineness, purity; delicate, exquisite, fine; sharp, thin”)) + -esse (suffix forming nouns describing the condition of being something).

The verb is derived from the noun.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /f??n?s/, /f?-/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /f??n?s/, /f?-/
• Hyphenation: fin?esse

Noun

finesse (countable and uncountable, plural finesses)

1. (uncountable) Skill in the handling or manipulation of a situation. [from c. 1520]

   Synonym: finessing
2. (uncountable) The property of having elegance, grace, refinement, or skill. [from mid 16th c.]
3. (countable) An adroit manoeuvre. [from mid 16th c.]
4. (countable, card games) In bridge, whist, etc.: a technique which allows one to win a trick, usually by playing a card when it is thought that a card that can beat it is held by another player whose turn is over. [from early 18th c.]

Translations

Verb

finesse (third-person singular simple present finesses, present participle finessing, simple past and past participle finessed)

1. (transitive, chiefly Canada, US, politics) To evade (a problem, situation, etc.) by using some clever argument or strategem.
   • 2018, John C. Hull, Options, Futures and Other Derivatives (10th ed.), Pearson (2018), p. 276

     Almost miraculously, [risk-neutral valuation] finesses the problem that we know hardly anything about the risk aversion of the buyers and sellers of options.

2. (transitive, card games) To play (a card) as a finesse. [from mid 18th c.]
3. (transitive, intransitive) To handle or manage carefully or skilfully; to manipulate in a crafty way. [from mid 18th c.]

   Synonym: (slang) zhoosh
4. (intransitive, card games) To attempt to win a trick by finessing. [from mid 18th c.]
5. (intransitive, croquet, obsolete) To play a ball out of the way of an opponent.

Derived terms

Translations

References

Further reading

• finesse (card games) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• finesse (disambiguation) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

French

Etymology

From fin +? -esse

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fi.n?s/
• Rhymes: -?s

Noun

finesse f (plural finesses)

1. fineness (of hair, writing etc.)
2. thinness
3. keenness, sharpness (of blade)
4. fineness, delicacy; slenderness
5. perceptiveness; sensitivity, finesse

Further reading

• “finesse” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).