# lege artis



## nikkieli

Hi, everybody,

In a conversation between strangers I overheard 'legae artis', which is unfamiliar to me. I surfed the net, but struck a snag as 'legae artis' was not in English sites. I cannot provide context except the fact that the conversation was related to history and art.
Thanks to all who can help me out.


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## Bil

Hi

Well, although not commonly encountered nowadays, the Latin expression _"Lege artis"_ is used as an adjective meaning _"authentic"_ or _"genuine."_


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## nikkieli

Bil, you are a pundit, lege artis))


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## se16teddy

You might get an (even) fuller response if you post this question in the Latin forum.


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## Flaminius

Here's how the two words come to mean _authentic_ or _genuine_:
lege — according to/from the law; < lex _law_
artis — of art; < ars _art_

Noteworthy here is that Latin _ars_ is NOT high art which looks to me the most representative meaning of the English word.  Rather, it is an established method of science such as medicine, logistics, astronomy and grammar.


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## jimmy tulip

Used in medicine to refer to evidence based medicine.. ie 'proven' as apposed to the previous form practiced since hypocrates 400 something bc..


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