ARTIFICES
Noun
artifices
plural of artifice
Source: Wiktionary
ARTIFICE
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