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Where does the word "artifact" come from? It comes from Latin ars, and was adopted directly into English (1821).
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Where does the word "artifact" come from? It comes from Latin ars, and was adopted directly into English (1821).
Artifact’s story begins in Latin: ars meant “skill, art.” Skill, art, combined with factum (a thing made). It reached English by 1821 as artifact. Settled as the English word for an object made with human skill. Today, artifact means an object made by a human, especially one of historical or cultural interest.
- Stage 1 · Latin · ancient ars "skill, art", skill, art, combined with factum (a thing made).
- Stage 2 · English · 1821 artifact "an object made or shaped by human skill", settled as the English word for an object made with human skill.