Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “artifice” come from?

Artifice comes from Middle French artifice, from Latin artificium meaning craft or skill, derived from Latin artifex meaning craftsman, from Latin ars meaning art or skill, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₂er- meaning to fit or join.

artifice (English): A crafty but underhanded deception; A trick...

Definitions

  1. A crafty but underhanded deception; A trick...

Ancestry of “artifice”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Frenchartifice—
2Latinartificiumart, craft, trade; skill, talent, artifice,...
3Latinartifexartist, actor; craftsman, master; mastermind,...
4Latinarsart; skill, craft, handicraft, trade, power
5Proto-Italicartis—
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂értisfitting
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂er-to fit, to fix, to put together

Words derived from “artifice”

  • artificed
  • artificala
  • artifico
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂er- →