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

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Etymology

Origin of artefact

C19: from Latin phrase arte factum, from ars skill + facere to make

Example Sentences

"Police will allege the man was found in possession of the last missing artefact, the wooden cat sculpture," they said.

From Barron's • Feb. 16, 2026

"Some things are too precious to take a risk with," the artist wrote in an opinion piece for the daily Independent about plans for the 11th-century artefact.

From Barron's • Jan. 15, 2026

The final sales price might not be what the original artefact was worth, but it will still be considerable.

From BBC • Oct. 19, 2025

In a separate trench further up the hill are friends and volunteers Valerie Shearer and Janice McHenry, who were deep in competition to find the best artefact.

From BBC • Apr. 20, 2025

None of this persuaded the most die-hard Aristotelians, who simply refused to accept that what was seen through the telescope was real, imagining it to be some artefact produced by the lenses themselves.

From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin