Lewis & Short

1. făber, bri (gen. plur. most freq. fabrum; cf.: jam ut censoriae tabulae loquuntur, fabrum et procum audeo dicere, non fabrorum et procorum, Cic. Or. 46, 156: fabrum, Caes. ap. Cic. Att. 9, 8, C, 2; Caes. B. C. 1, 24, 4; Plin. 34, 1, 1, § 1 al.: fabrorum, Plaut. Most. 1, 2, 54; Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 56, § 147; Plin. 35, 15, 51, § 182 al.), m. [Sanscr. root bha-, gleam, shine; Gr. φημί, say, φαίνω, show; cf. for], a worker in wood, stone, metal, etc., a forger, smith, artificer, carpenter, joiner (syn.: artifex, opifex, operarius), τέκτων.

  1. I. Prop.
    1. A. With adj. of material, etc., specifying the trade: tamen ego me Phidiam esse mallem, quam vel optimum fabrum tignarium, carpenter, Cic. Brut. 73, 257; so, tignarius, id. Rep. 2, 22; Inscr. Orell. 4087; cf.: fabros tignarios dicimus non eos duntaxat, qui tigna dolant, sed omnes, qui aedificant, Dig. 50, 16, 235: ut fortunati sunt fabri ferrarii, Qui apud carbones assident! blacksmiths, Plaut. Rud. 2, 6, 47: fabrum aerariorum conlegium, copper-smiths, braziers, Plin. 34, 1, 1, § 1; cf.: marmoris aut eboris fabros aut aeris amavit, Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 96: ‡ eburarius, Inscr. ap. Spon. Misc. p. 222: ‡ intestinarius, one who does the fine carved work in wood for the interior of a building, a joiner, Inscr. Orell. 4182: ‡ a Corinthiis, ib. 4181: ‡ oculariarius, one who made silver eyes for statues, ib. 4185.
    2. B. In gen.: ut arcessatur faber, ut istas compedis tibi adimam, Plaut. Capt. 5, 4, 29: cogito, utrum me dicam medicum ducere an fabrum, id. Men. 5, 3, 11: hominem pro fabro aut pro tectore emere, Cic. Planc. 25, 62: fabri ad aedificandam rem publicam, work-people, workmen, laborers, id. Fam. 9, 2, 5; cf. id. Verr. 2, 5, 19, § 48: ex legionibus fabros delegit, the workmen belonging to the army, Caes. B. G. 5, 11, 3; whose overseer was called praefectus fabrūm, id. B. C. 1, 24, 4: His fabris crescunt patrimonia, i. e. these smiths know how to add to their patrimonies, Juv. 14, 116: faber volans, i. e. Icarus, id. 1, 54.
      Prov.: faber est quisque fortunae suae, every man is the maker of his own fortune, Appius ap. Sall. de Republ. Ordin. 1.