artifice
/ˈɑː(ɹ)tɪfɪs/ noun, verb
Forms artifices artificing artificed
- noun Crafty deception.
- noun A trick played out as an ingenious, but artful, ruse.
- noun A strategic maneuver that uses some clever means to avoid detection or capture.
- noun A tactical move to gain advantage.
- noun Skill; cleverness.
- noun (archaic) Something made with technical skill; a contrivance.
- verb To construct by means of skill or specialised art
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle French artifice, from Latin artificium.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A handicraft; a trade; art of making. [Obs.]
- noun Workmanship; a skillfully contrived work.
Etymology [L. artificium, fr. artifex artificer; ars, artis, art + facere to make: cf. F. artifice.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “artifice”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details