artifact

[ ahr-tuh-fakt ]
See synonyms for artifact on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. any object made by human beings, especially with a view to subsequent use.

  2. a handmade object, as a tool, or the remains of one, as a shard of pottery, characteristic of an earlier time or cultural stage, especially such an object found at an archaeological excavation.

  1. any mass-produced, usually inexpensive object reflecting contemporary society or popular culture: artifacts of the pop rock generation.

  2. a substance or structure not naturally present in the matter being observed but formed by artificial means, as during preparation of a microscope slide.

  3. a spurious observation or result arising from preparatory or investigative procedures.

  4. any feature that is not naturally present but is a product of an extrinsic agent, method, or the like: statistical artifacts that make the inflation rate seem greater than it is.

  5. Digital Technology. a visible or audible anomaly introduced in the processing or transmission of digital data: Your computer might need a new graphics card if you see green pixels where you should not, or other graphics artifacts.Ghosting artifacts in an MRI are usually the result of patient movement during a scan.

verb (used with object)
  1. Digital Technology. to introduce a visible or audible anomaly in (an image or audio file) during the processing or transmission of digital data: Compression may artifact your recording with clicking or echoing sounds.The video appears to be heavily artifacted.

Origin of artifact

1
First recorded in 1815–25; variant of artefact (a spelling first recorded in 1625–50 ) from Latin phrase arte factum “(something) made with skill.” See art1, fact
  • Also especially British, ar·te·fact .

Other words from artifact

  • ar·ti·fac·tu·al [ahr-tuh-fak-choo-uhl], /ˌɑr təˈfæk tʃu əl/, adjective

Words Nearby artifact

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use artifact in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for artifact

artifact

/ (ˈɑːtɪˌfækt) /


noun
  1. a variant spelling of artefact

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

Scientific definitions for artifact

artifact

  1. An object produced or shaped by human craft, especially a tool, weapon, or ornament of archaeological or historical interest.

  2. An artificial product or effect observed in a natural system, especially one introduced by the technology used in scientific investigation or by experimental error.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.