Where does “artificial” come from?
artificial (Romanian) comes from French artificiel, from Latin artificialis, from Latin artificium, from Latin artifex, from Latin ars, from Proto-Italic artis, from Proto-Indo-European h₂értis, from Proto-Indo-European h₂er- — to fit, to fix, to put together.
artificial (Romanian): artificial
Ancestry of “artificial”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | French | artificiel | artificial |
| 2 | Latin | artificialis | artificial |
| 3 | Latin | artificium | art, craft, trade; skill, talent, artifice,... |
| 4 | Latin | artifex | artist, actor; craftsman, master; mastermind,... |
| 5 | Latin | ars | art; skill, craft, handicraft, trade, power |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | artis | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂értis | fitting |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂er- | to fit, to fix, to put together |