Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Artificer \Ar*tif"i*cer\, n. [Cf. F. artificier, fr. LL.
   artificiarius.]
   1. An artistic worker; a mechanic or manufacturer; one whose
      occupation requires skill or knowledge of a particular
      kind, as a silversmith.

   2. One who makes or contrives; a deviser, inventor, or
      framer. ``Artificer of fraud.'' --Milton.

            The great Artificer of all that moves. --Cowper.

   3. A cunning or artful fellow. [Obs.] --B. Jonson.

   4. (Mil.) A military mechanic, as a blacksmith, carpenter,
      etc.; also, one who prepares the shells, fuses, grenades,
      etc., in a military laboratory.

   Syn: Artisan; artist. See {Artisan}.

Source : WordNet®

artificer
     n 1: someone who is the first to think of or make something [syn:
           {inventor}, {discoverer}]
     2: a skilled worker who practices some trade or handicraft
        [syn: {craftsman}, {artisan}, {journeyman}]
     3: an enlisted man responsible for the upkeep of small arms and
        machine guns etc. [syn: {armorer}, {armourer}]