artefact

Everyday

1. An object made by people long ago, such as a tool, pot or jewel, that tells us about the past. tree →
2. Any object made by people. tree →
3. (science, computing) A mistake or strange mark in a picture or result caused by the method or machine, not by the real thing. tree →

In the lessons

In history lessons, artefacts are clues about how people lived; museums display artefacts. In science and computing, an artefact is a false mark in data. Phrases: «ancient artefacts», «museum artefacts».

Examples

• The museum has artefacts from ancient Egypt. tree →
• We handled Viking artefacts in class. tree →
• A broken pot is a useful artefact for historians. tree →
• Each group described one artefact. tree →
• The blur in the photo was an artefact of the camera. tree →
• Artefacts must be handled with gloves. tree →

Note

UK: artefact; US: artifact. Countable.