Definition of "banausic" []

• Merely mechanical; routine: "a sensitive, self-conscious creature . . . in sad revolt against uncongenially banausic employment” ( London Magazine). (adjective)
• Of or relating to a mechanic. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "They used the term banausic for the low-cast, cringing souls involved in the making of things."
• "The term "banausic" comes from philosophy and concerns "the illiberal or vulgar arts," subjects with which Vidal has frequently dealt."
• "The gainful occupations, or any occupations pursued for gain, were "banausic," which meant that they had an effect opposite to that of cultivation."