English Dictionary: artifice | by the DICT Development Group |
2 results for artifice | |
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]: | |
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: | |
Artifice \Ar"ti*fice\, n. [L. artificium, fr. artifex artificer; ars, artis, art + facere to make: cf. F. artifice.] 1. A handicraft; a trade; art of making. [Obs.] 2. Workmanship; a skillfully contrived work. The material universe.. in the artifice of God, the artifice of the best Mechanist. --Cudworth. 3. Artful or skillful contrivance. His [Congreve's] plots were constructed without much artifice. --Craik. 4. Crafty device; an artful, ingenious, or elaborate trick. Note: [Now the usual meaning.] Those who were conscious of guilt employed numerous artifices for the purpose of averting inquiry. --Macaulay. |