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artifact - 7 dictionary results

ar⋅ti⋅fact

  [ahr-tuh-fakt]
Use artifact in a Sentence
–noun
1. any object made by human beings, esp. 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, esp. such an object found at an archaeological excavation.
3. any mass-produced, usually inexpensive object reflecting contemporary society or popular culture: artifacts of the pop rock generation.
4. a substance or structure not naturally present in the matter being observed but formed by artificial means, as during preparation of a microscope slide.
5. a spurious observation or result arising from preparatory or investigative procedures.
6. 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.
Also, artefact.

Origin:
1815–25; var. of artefact < L phrase arte factum (something) made with skill. See art, fact

Related forms:
ar⋅ti⋅fac⋅tu⋅al  [ahr-tuh-fak-choo-uhl] , adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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ar·ti·fact also ar·te·fact   (är'tə-fākt')   
n.  
  1. An object produced or shaped by human craft, especially a tool, weapon, or ornament of archaeological or historical interest.
  2. Something viewed as a product of human conception or agency rather than an inherent element: "The very act of looking at a naked model was an artifact of male supremacy" (Philip Weiss).
  3. A structure or feature not normally present but visible as a result of an external agent or action, such as one seen in a microscopic specimen after fixation, or in an image produced by radiology or electrocardiography.
  4. An inaccurate observation, effect, or result, especially one resulting from the technology used in scientific investigation or from experimental error: The apparent pattern in the data was an artifact of the collection method.

[Latin arte, ablative of ars, art; see art1 + factum, something made (from neuter past participle of facere, to make; see dhē- in Indo-European roots).]
ar'ti·fac'tu·al (-fāk'chŏŏ-əl) adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Artifact

Ar"ti*fact\, n. [L. ars, artis, art + facere, factum, to make.]

1. (Arch[ae]ol.) A product of human workmanship; -- applied esp. to the simpler products of aboriginal art as distinguished from natural objects.

2. (Biol.) A structure or appearance in protoplasm due to death or the use of reagents and not present during life.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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artifact 
1821 (artefact) "anything made by human art," from It. artefatto, from L. arte "by skill" (ablative of ars "art;" see art (n.)) + factum "thing made," from facere "to make, do" (see factitious). Archaeological application dates from 1890.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Main Entry: ar·ti·fact
Variant: or chiefly British ar·te·fact /'ärt-&-"fakt/
Function: noun
1 : a product of artificial character due to extraneous (as human) agency; specifically : a product or formation in a microscopic preparation of a fixed tissue or cell that is caused bymanipulation or reagents and is not indicative of actual structural relationships
2 : an electrocardiographic and electroencephalographic wave that arises from sources other thanthe heart or brain —ar·ti·fac·tu·al or chiefly British ar·te·fac·tu·al /"ärt-&-'fak-ch&(-w&)l, -'faksh-w&l/ adjective
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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artifact ar·ti·fact or ar·te·fact (är'tə-fākt')
n.

  1. A structure or substance not normally present but produced by an external agent or action, such as a structure seen in a microscopic specimen after fixation that is not present in the living tissue.
  2. A skin lesion produced or perpetuated by self-inflicted action.
ar'ti·fac·ti'tious (-fāk-tĭsh'əs) or ar'ti·fac'tu·al (-fāk'ch&oobreve;-əl) adj.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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artifact also artefact   (är'tə-fākt')  Pronunciation Key 
  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 © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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