(Latin Architectus, Greek Ἀρχιτέκτων) from the primitive words ἀρχή, the beginning, origin, or cause, and τεκτόν, to contrive, construct, build), an originator, a contriver of structures; one who designs and executes works of architecture. An architect is either civil, naval, or military. To a civil architect the term is applied simply, without the qualifying adjective, and to the others with the distinctive adjective prefixed. Architecture requires of its professor that he be both a man of science and an artist. He has to study it as a useful science and as a decorative art; the former requiring a more than ordinary knowledge of all that natural philosophy teaches, together with a technical acquaintance with the mechanical arts used in building; and the latter a fine perception of what is competent to produce pleasing effects, and in what manner they may be combined to produce grandeur and beauty. It often happens, and particularly on the Continent, where indeed they do not generally profess to be otherwise, that architects are totally devoid of all technical knowledge of the details of their profession, in which case a surveyor or supervisor is required to carry the architect's designs into execution. Such architects are little better than mere draughtsmen. In this country there is a large class of persons called surveyors, most of whom are in fact mere measurers. They too assume the office and distinction of architects, and are frequently employed as such. Country builders, again, who are for the most part simply carpenters, masons, or plasterers, are not unfrequently allowed to execute their own designs, the result of which passes with the vulgar for architecture, and their authors are also called architects. Vitruvius, who, whatever may be his merits as an historian of architecture, certainly well understood what an architect should be, requires him to be versed in almost every branch of science and art that was taught at the time he wrote.

Very few names of the architects of antiquity most deserving of celebrity have descended to us through authentic channels. Vitruvius was himself so obscure as not to be mentioned, or in any way referred to, by any ancient author whose works remain to the present time. Of the authors of the splendid architectural monuments of Egypt and India we know absolutely nothing. It is indeed but with difficulty and uncertainty that we can indicate the architects of the middle ages, the inventors and perfecters of that magnificent and beautiful style which, in the absence of a better generic name, has been called Gothic. They were mostly ecclesiastics,—frequently bishops and abbots.

When learning began to extend itself beyond the cloister, and science and the liberal arts were allowed to shed their influence on the minds of men, their application to useful and agreeable purposes became the occupation or profession of distinct classes. These had, of course, to derive reasonable emolument from their respective professions, and it was generally made in the shape of fees. Fees, however, could not be well determined in some professions, and among them in that of architecture. At first the architect was paid so much for a design, and a salary as supervisor or surveyor of its execution; but the established custom in this country now is, that the architect shall be paid a commission of five per cent. on the cost of the structure he is engaged to design and execute. For this he makes the design; an estimate of the expense, if required; a specification of everything required to be done by the builder, by contract or otherwise; with working drawings, and drawings of details. He superintends the execution of the structure, and measures and values the whole of the work if necessary, when completed, to check the builder's accounts. (W.H.—G.)