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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:

The artefact, almost 1,000 years old, is a 70m-long storyboard of embroidered pictures showing an epic account of the Norman conquest and the Battle of Hastings of 1066.

From BBC ● Jul. 11, 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

But the South African also sees the game as a "general awareness-raising attempt about African culture, African history, and sort of the scale of this cultural artefact looting that has happened".

From BBC ● Feb. 9, 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

A further problem was that an experiment is an artefact.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

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