ARTEFACT

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does artefact mean? 

• ARTEFACT (noun)
  The noun ARTEFACT has 1 sense:

1. a man-made object taken as a whole

  Familiarity information: ARTEFACT used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• ARTEFACT (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A man-made object taken as a whole

Classified under:

Nouns with no superordinates

Synonyms:

artefact; artifact

Hypernyms ("artefact" is a kind of...):

unit; whole (an assemblage of parts that is regarded as a single entity)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "artefact"):

square (any artifact having a shape similar to a plane geometric figure with four equal sides and four right angles)

lemon; stinker (an artifact (especially an automobile) that is defective or unsatisfactory)

line (something (as a cord or rope) that is long and thin and flexible)

marker (some conspicuous object used to distinguish or mark something)

mystification (something designed to mystify or bewilder)

opening (a vacant or unobstructed space that is man-made)

cushioning; padding (artifact consisting of soft or resilient material used to fill or give shape or protect or add comfort)

plaything; toy (an artifact designed to be played with)

ready-made (a manufactured artifact (as a garment or piece of furniture) that is made in advance and available for purchase)

restoration (some artifact that has been restored or reconstructed)

flat solid; sheet (a flat artifact that is thin relative to its length and width)

sphere (any spherically shaped artifact)

bed; layer (single thickness of usually some homogeneous substance)

squeaker (any artifact that makes a squeaking sound when used)

slip; strip (artifact consisting of a narrow flat piece of material)

construction; structure (a thing constructed; a complex entity constructed of many parts)

surface (the outer boundary of an artifact or a material layer constituting or resembling such a boundary)

thing (an artifact)

track (a pair of parallel rails providing a runway for wheels)

way (any artifact consisting of a road or path affording passage from one place to another)

weight (an artifact that is heavy)

building material (material used for constructing buildings)

pavement; paving; paving material (material used to pave an area)

decker ((often used in combinations) something constructed with multiple levels)

facility (something designed and created to serve a particular function and to afford a particular convenience or service)

Americana (any artifact (such as books or furniture or art) that is distinctive of America)

anachronism (an artifact that belongs to another time)

antiquity (an artifact surviving from the past)

block (a solid piece of something (usually having flat rectangular sides))

button (any artifact that resembles a button)

commodity; good; trade good (articles of commerce)

cone (any cone-shaped artifact)

covering (an artifact that covers something else (usually to protect or shelter or conceal it))

creation (an artifact that has been brought into existence by someone)

article (one of a class of artifacts)

decoration; ornament; ornamentation (something used to beautify)

electroplate (any artifact that has been plated with a thin coat of metal by electrolysis)

excavation (a hole in the ground made by excavating)

duplicate; extra (something additional of the same kind)

cloth; fabric; material; textile (artifact made by weaving or felting or knitting or crocheting natural or synthetic fibers)

facility; installation (a building or place that provides a particular service or is used for a particular industry)

fixture (an object firmly fixed in place (especially in a household))

float (something that floats on the surface of water)

insert; inset (an artifact that is inserted or is to be inserted)

instrumentality; instrumentation (an artifact (or system of artifacts) that is instrumental in accomplishing some end)

Derivation:

artefactual (of or relating to artifacts)

 Context examples 

The site, known as Yana Rhinoceros Horn Site (RHS), was found in 2001 and features more than 2,500 artefacts of animal bones and ivory along with stone tools and evidence of human habitation.

(DNA from 31,000-year-old milk teeth leads to discovery of new group of ancient Siberians, University of Cambridge)

Prior to this discovery, the oldest microfossils reported were found in Western Australia and dated at 3,460 million years old but some scientists think they might be non-biological artefacts in the rocks.

(World's Oldest Fossils Unearthed, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

Norse artefacts have previously been found among the remains of 13th and 14th century Inuit settlements in this most northern of regions.

(Over-hunting walruses contributed to the collapse of Norse Greenland, University of Cambridge)

The mysterious disappearance of Greenland’s Norse colonies sometime in the 15th century may have been down to the overexploitation of walrus populations for their tusks, according to a study of medieval artefacts from across Europe.

(Over-hunting walruses contributed to the collapse of Norse Greenland, University of Cambridge)