artifact

noun

ar·ti·fact | \ ˈär-ti-ˌfakt

Definition of artifact

1a : a usually simple object (such as a tool or ornament) showing human workmanship or modification as distinguished from a natural object especially : an object remaining from a particular period caves containing prehistoric artifacts

b : something characteristic of or resulting from a particular human institution, period, trend, or individual … morality is an artifact of human culture, devised to help us negotiate social relations.— Michael Pollan

c : something or someone arising from or associated with an earlier time especially when regarded as no longer appropriate, relevant, or important … that over-simplified but eloquent quality that keeps Jefferson alive for us while Washington and Adams, his superiors in so many other respects, are artifacts of a quaint and lost world.— Jack Rakove

2a : a product of artificial character (as in a scientific test) due usually to extraneous (such as human) agency

b : an electrocardiographic and electroencephalographic wave that arises from sources other than the heart or brain

c : a defect in an image (such as a digital photograph) that appears as a result of the technology and methods used to create and process the image … can produce a very good picture, but there will be some loss of detail and some color artifacts such as adjacent colors bleeding into each other. — Consumer Reports

Other Words from artifact Did you know? More Example Sentences Learn More About artifact

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Did you know?

One of the things that make humans unique is their ability to make and use tools, and ever since the first rough stone axes began to appear about 700,000 years ago, human cultures have left behind artifacts from which we've tried to draw a picture of their everyday life. The roots of artifact mean basically "something made with skill;" thus, a mere stone that was used for pounding isn't an artifact, since it wasn't shaped by humans for its purpose—unlike a ram's horn that was polished and given a brass mouthpiece and was blown as part of a religious ritual.

Examples of artifact in a Sentence

The caves contained many prehistoric artifacts. an artifact from the Colonial period

Recent Examples on the Web The six inch by five-inch clay artifact is part of an epic poem that is considered one of the world’s oldest religious and literary texts. — Washington Post, 29 July 2021 That's how much craft store Hobby Lobby paid for an ancient artifact from modern-day Iraq that the Justice Department said illegally came to the US. — Aj Willingham, CNN, 28 July 2021 Nyjah Huston’s signature dreadlocks are stored in a box now, an artifact of his early fame. — New York Times, 23 July 2021 The Bold Type is a pop-cultural artifact of workism. — Megan Garber, The Atlantic, 19 July 2021 These changes are part of a broader attempt by Disney and Imagineering to ensure Disneyland remains a vital part of the cultural conversation rather than a cultural artifact. — Los Angeles Times, 18 July 2021 These differences in symptoms could be a statistical artifact, thanks to the different kinds of people who are getting this variant on average — younger, healthier folk than earlier in the pandemic. — Andy Larsen, The Salt Lake Tribune, 2 July 2021 But this most recent addition to the endless list of collectible NFTs is an artifact with an air of gravitas, a souvenir from a vaunted internet pioneer. — Kate Knibbs, Wired, 30 June 2021 An essential artifact for open-source governance, the SBOM can help identify where and how an organization may be impacted by a software vulnerability. — Conal Gallagher, Forbes, 18 June 2021

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'artifact.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for artifact

borrowed from New Latin arte factus "made by human agency," from Latin arte "by skill or craft" (ablative of art-, ars "acquired skill, craftmanship") + factus, past participle of facere "to make, bring about, do" — more at art entry 1, fact

Note: The usual American spelling artifact—opposed to artefact in the British Isles and elsewhere—shows assimilation to Latin compounds with arti- (see artifice).

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Dictionary Entries Near artifact

articulus

artifact

artifactitious

Statistics for artifact

Last Updated

6 Aug 2021

Cite this Entry

“Artifact.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/artifact. Accessed 8 Aug. 2021.

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More Definitions for artifact

artifact

noun

ar·ti·fact

variants: or chiefly British artefact \ ˈärt-ə-ˌfakt

Medical Definition of artifact

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 by manipulation or reagents and is not indicative of actual structural relationships

2 : an electrocardiographic and electroencephalographic wave that arises from sources other than the heart or brain