Artful is an adjective meaning "clever or skillful, often in a cunning or deceptive way". Historically, it is from art (from Old French art, from Latin ars, artem 'skill, craft') plus the native suffix -ful. The visible construction is part of the etymology: artful is not just an unanalyzed simple word. The modern meaning, "clever or skillful, often in a cunning or deceptive way", follows the base word through the added English ending. The historical chain links Latin ars with Proto-Indo-European *h₂er-. Close English family members include artfully, artfulness, art, artless, and artifice.