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artifice

 - 4 dictionary results

ar⋅ti⋅fice

  [ahr-tuh-fis]
–noun
1. a clever trick or stratagem; a cunning, crafty device or expedient; wile.
2. trickery; guile; craftiness.
3. cunning; ingenuity; inventiveness: a drawing-room comedy crafted with artifice and elegance.
4. a skillful or artful contrivance or expedient.
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Origin:
1525–35; < AF < L artificium craftsmanship, art, craftiness, equiv. to arti-, comb. form of ars art 1 + -fic-, comb. form of facere to do 1 , make + -ium + -ium

Synonyms:
1. subterfuge. See trick. 2. deception, deceit, art, duplicity. See cunning.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.
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ar·ti·fice   (är'tə-fĭs)   
n.  

  1. An artful or crafty expedient; a stratagem. See Synonyms at wile.

  2. Subtle but base deception; trickery.

  3. Cleverness or skill; ingenuity.


[French, from Old French, craftsmanship, from Latin artificium, from artifex, artific-, craftsman : ars, art-, art; see art1 + -fex, maker; see dhē- in Indo-European roots.]
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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Word Origin & History

artifice 
1534, "workmanship," from M.Fr. artifice "skill, cunning," from L. artificium "making by art, craft," from artifex (gen. artificis) "craftsman, artist," from ars "art" (see art (n.)) + facere "do" (see factitious). Meaning "device, trick" (the usual modern sense) is from 1656.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: ar·ti·fice
Pronunciation: 'är-t&-f&s
Function: noun
: a clever strategy usually intended to deceive or defraud
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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