There is also something called a 'software artifact'. Though there is no 'official' categorization of artifacts per se, an artifact is not always discovered via an archaeological endeavor. In cytology, an artifact is a structure found in tissue after fixation, staining, death, etc., usually not present in the tissue when it's alive. It need not be certain years old or have crossed a specific age threshold to qualify as an 'artifact'. Personal adornment items such as clothing and jewelryĪn 'artifact' doesn't always denote an 'old' object, though most artifacts are usually a hundred and even thousands of years old.Īny unique piece of craft or art made by humans (not naturally occurring) with some historical significance is considered an artifact.Metal items such as guns, buttons, etc.Some of your typical archaeological artifacts are: Works of artistry or artisanship from past civilizations or societies, such as a vase, necklace, work tool, etc., are artifacts, for instance. The noun 'artifact' or 'artefact' is used to define human-made objects with unique designs, with some historical meaning or backstory attached.

If you strongly believe the difference between the nouns 'artifact' and 'artefact' is more than just the two having marginally different spellings, read on to get more informed. It should, therefore, be used to denote items of significance in texts written in U.K. The article is usually of historical interest. The word 'artifact' refers to an object or item with some significance and a unique design. And a few other terms mean the same thing despite having different spellings – for instance, 'artifact' and 'artefact'. Then there are words with identical pronunciations but different spellings and meanings. Some words have the same spellings and pronunciations, but they have different meanings.

Artifact meaning in english language