ARTIFICE

ruse, artifice

(noun) a deceptive maneuver (especially to avoid capture)

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Noun

artifice (countable and uncountable, plural artifices)

A crafty but underhanded deception.

A trick played out as an ingenious, but artful, ruse.

A strategic maneuver that uses some clever means to avoid detection or capture.

A tactical move to gain advantage.

(archaic) Something made with technical skill; a contrivance.

Verb

artifice (third-person singular simple present artifices, present participle artificing, simple past and past participle artificed)

To construct by means of skill or specialised art

Source: Wiktionary


Ar"ti*fice, n. Etym: [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.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

23 May 2025

THOUGHTFULLY

(adverb) showing consideration and thoughtfulness; “he had thoughtfully brought with him some food to share”


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Coffee Trivia

According to Guinness World Records, the largest iced coffee is 14,228.1 liters and was created by Caffé Bene (South Korea), in Yangju, South Korea, on 17 July 2014. They poured iced black Americano on the giant cup that measured 3.3 meters tall and 2.62 meters wide.

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