artifact

artifact
artifactual /ahr'teuh fak"chooh euhl/, adj.
/ahr"teuh fakt'/, n.
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.
[1815-25; var. of artefact < L phrase arte factum (something) made with skill. See ART, FACT]

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Artifact — or artefact may refer to:* Artifact (archaeology), any object made or modified by a human culture, and later recovered by an archaeological endeavor * Artefact (band) black metal band from France * Artifact (band), a band from Norway * Artifact… …   Wikipedia

  • artifact — ARTIFÁCT s. n. obiect primitiv făcut de mâna omului. (< engl. artifact) Trimis de raduborza, 15.09.2007. Sursa: MDN …   Dicționar Român

  • 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. Syn: artefact. [Webster 1913 Suppl.] 2.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • artifact — artifact. См. артефакт. (Источник: «Англо русский толковый словарь генетических терминов». Арефьев В.А., Лисовенко Л.А., Москва: Изд во ВНИРО, 1995 г.) …   Молекулярная биология и генетика. Толковый словарь.

  • Artifact — Artifact. См. Артефакт. (Источник: «Металлы и сплавы. Справочник.» Под редакцией Ю.П. Солнцева; НПО Профессионал , НПО Мир и семья ; Санкт Петербург, 2003 г.) …   Словарь металлургических терминов

  • artifact — (n.) 1821, artefact, anything made by human art, from It. artefatto, from L. arte by skill (ablative of ars art; see ART (Cf. art) (n.)) + factum thing made, from facere to make, do (see FACTITIOUS (Cf …   Etymology dictionary

  • artifact — product, *work, production, opus …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • artifact — (Brit. artefact) ► NOUN ▪ a functional or decorative man made object. ORIGIN from Latin arte using art + factum something made …   English terms dictionary

  • artifact — [ärt′ə fakt΄] n. [L arte, by skill (abl. of ars, ART1) + factum, thing made (see FACT)] 1. any object made by human work; esp., a simple or primitive tool, weapon, vessel, etc. 2. Histology any nonnatural feature or structure accidentally… …   English World dictionary

  • artifact — 1. Anything, especially in a histologic specimen or a graphic record, that is caused by the technique used and not reflecting the original specimen or experiment. 2. A skin lesion produced or perpetuated by self inflicted action, as in dermatitis …   Medical dictionary

  • artifact — artefact; n. 1) (in radiography) an appearance on an image reflecting a problem with the radiographic technique rather than representing the true appearance of the patient. For example, a movement artifact is blurring of the image due to movement …   The new mediacal dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”