artifact

[ ahr-tuh-fakt ]

/ ˈɑr təˌfækt /

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See synonyms for artifact on Thesaurus.com

noun

any object made by human beings, especially with a view to subsequent use.

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.

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

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

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

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.

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)

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.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Also especially British, ar·te·fact .

Origin of artifact

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

OTHER WORDS FROM artifact

ar·ti·fac·tu·al

[ahr-tuh-fak-choo-uhl], /ˌɑr təˈfæk tʃu əl/, adjective

Words nearby artifact

articulator, articulatory feature, articulatory loop, articulatory phonetics, Artie, artifact, artifacting, artifactitious, artifice, artificer, artificial

How to use artifact in a sentence

With offices already reconfiguring open plans, and the possibility that common spaces like snack bars and conference rooms will be off-limits, the literal watercooler conversation could be an artifact of a bygone era.
Remote workers want to re-create those watercooler moments, virtually|Tanya Basu|August 17, 2020|MIT Technology Review
She worked from attic rooms in the American Museum of Natural History in New York, her main employer, in a nest of field notebooks and tagged artifacts, handwritten letters and typed mimeographs, thousands upon thousands of pages and objects.
Gender Is What You Make of It - Issue 88: Love & Sex|Charles King|August 5, 2020|Nautilus
Many philosophers and mathematicians at the time thought that arithmetic was merely an artifact of human psychology.
Animals That Can Do Math Understand More Language Than We Think|Erik Nelson|June 14, 2020|Singularity Hub
Lombard, however, reserves judgment on the Sri Lankan bone points until high-resolution CT scans are used to probe for damage from high-speed impacts inside the artifacts.
Clues to the earliest known bow-and-arrow hunting outside Africa have been found|Bruce Bower|June 12, 2020|Science News

The researchers turned up cultural artifacts along with the fossils.
This cave hosted the oldest known human remains in Europe|Bruce Bower|June 12, 2020|Science News For Students
Today, a lack of provenance often means one of two things: an artifact is forged or an artifact was illegally acquired.
Dismembering History: The Shady Online Trade in Ancient Texts|Candida Moss|November 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Today, researchers are flummoxed as to the whereabouts of this gargantuan cultural artifact.
The Biggest Art Heist of WWII is Still Unsolved||October 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Given how infrequently new copies of the map appeared on the market, collectors would bid handsomely for the artifact.
The Million-Dollar Map Thief|Nick Romeo|July 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It was such a resounding failure, but I was coming at that conversation as a fan of the movie as a pop culture artifact.
Andy Cohen Reveals His ‘Watch What Happens Live’ Dream Guests|Kevin Fallon|July 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The only identifiable artifact is a perfectly circular slab of concrete.
Pablo Escobar’s Private Prison Is Now Run by Monks for Senior Citizens|Jeff Campagna|June 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This artifact reflects silver and pewter salt forms of about 1725.
The Cultural History of Marlborough, Virginia|C. Malcolm Watkins
The crucifix shows us how conventionalization and familiarization set aside all the suggestion which an artifact really carries.
Folkways|William Graham Sumner
How would an illiterate interact with them in order to get the most out of each artifact?
The Civilization of Illiteracy|Mihai Nadin
What is the basis of distinction between that which is an artifact and that which is a real shadow of the metallic substance?
Warren Commission (4 of 26): Hearings Vol. IV (of 15)|The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy
This artifact has been tentatively called a “bull-roarer” because no other purpose can be conjectured.
A Burial Cave in Baja California|William C. Massey

British Dictionary definitions for artifact

artifact

/ (ˈɑːtɪˌfækt) /

noun

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

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

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

artifact

Origin of artifact

OTHER WORDS FROM artifact

Words nearby artifact

Words related to artifact

How to use artifact in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for artifact

Scientific definitions for artifact