An alternative or archaic term for artery, or a person who makes or sells art.
Either a back-formation or abbreviation from artery (from Latin arteria), or informally derived from 'artist' or 'art' + -er. The medical sense is archaic, while the artist sense is informal/colloquial.
In older medical texts, 'arter' appears as a shortened form of artery—an example of how medical professionals created convenient abbreviations, similar to how doctors today use shortened terms for common anatomical structures.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.