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Showing results for "artefact"

artefact

British  
/ ˈɑːtɪˌfækt /

noun

  1. something made or given shape by man, such as a tool or a work of art, esp an object of archaeological interest

  2. anything man-made, such as a spurious experimental result

  3. cytology a structure seen in tissue after death, fixation, staining, etc, that is not normally present in the living tissue

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of artefact

C19: from Latin phrase arte factum, from ars skill + facere to make

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

It is the first time the artefact, which depicts events leading up to the Battle of Hastings and Norman Conquest of England in 1066, has returned to the UK in more than 900 years.

From BBC Jul. 17, 2026

The fragile 11th-century artefact has left its home in Bayeux in a high-tech container designed to eliminate vibrations and maintain a steady temperature and humidity, the source said.

From Barron's Jul. 9, 2026

The "covered-up" image of a nude artefact has been withdrawn from an Indian school textbook after it sparked a massive backlash from historians and educationists.

From BBC Jun. 16, 2026

Jane Bishop, owner of the Walpole Bay Hotel in the town, said it was "sad" that Margate's "important artefact" could no longer be enjoyed by visitors.

From BBC Jan. 29, 2026

Simon Schaffer’s account of Newton’s experimentum crucis; again, the claim that replication was a social artefact turns out to be false.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

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