artifact

[ ahr-tuh-fakt ]

noun

1. any object made by human beings, especially 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, especially 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.

7. Digital Technology. a visible or audible anomaly introduced in the processing or transmission of digital data: Ghosting artifacts in an MRI are usually the result of patient movement during a scan.

   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)

1. Digital Technology. to introduce a visible or audible anomaly in (an image or audio file) during the processing or transmission of digital data: The video appears to be heavily artifacted.

   Compression may artifact your recording with clicking or echoing sounds.

   The video appears to be heavily artifacted.

artifact

/ ˈɑːtɪˌfækt /

noun

1. See artefact
   a variant spelling of artefact

artifact

/ är′tə-făkt′ /

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.

Other Words From

• ar·ti·fac·tu·al [ahr-t, uh, -, fak, -choo-, uh, l], adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of artifact¹

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 art ¹, fact

Example Sentences

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.

From 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.

From Nautilus

Many philosophers and mathematicians at the time thought that arithmetic was merely an artifact of human psychology.

From 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.

From Science News

The researchers turned up cultural artifacts along with the fossils.

From 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.

From The Daily Beast

Today, researchers are flummoxed as to the whereabouts of this gargantuan cultural artifact.

From The Daily Beast

Given how infrequently new copies of the map appeared on the market, collectors would bid handsomely for the artifact.

From The 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.

From The Daily Beast

The only identifiable artifact is a perfectly circular slab of concrete.

From The Daily Beast

This artifact reflects silver and pewter salt forms of about 1725.

From Project Gutenberg

The crucifix shows us how conventionalization and familiarization set aside all the suggestion which an artifact really carries.

From Project Gutenberg

How would an illiterate interact with them in order to get the most out of each artifact?

From Project Gutenberg

What is the basis of distinction between that which is an artifact and that which is a real shadow of the metallic substance?

From Project Gutenberg

This artifact has been tentatively called a “bull-roarer” because no other purpose can be conjectured.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• amount
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• commodity
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