artifice C2 Topic:Describing People US /ˈɑː(ɹ)tɪfɪs/ See IPA manual Freq #50169 Meanings 1 noun Clever but dishonest behaviour used to trick or deceive someone. He won the contract through charm and pure artifice. 2 noun A clever device or skilful method; a contrivance. The film relies on the artifice of flashbacks to tell its story. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 noun · clever but dishonest... rusetrickery Word family Forms artifices Etymology AI details From Middle French artifice, from Latin artificium. *h₂er- Proto-Indo-European artifice Middle French *dʰeh₁- Proto-Indo-European View etymology graph -> Topics Describing People External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # artifice **Type:** Word **Level:** C2 **Part of speech:** noun **IPA (US):** /ˈɑː(ɹ)tɪfɪs/ **Frequency rank:** 50169 ## Meanings 1. Clever but dishonest behaviour used to trick or deceive someone. 2. A clever device or skilful method; a contrivance. ## Examples - He won the contract through charm and pure artifice. - The film relies on the artifice of flashbacks to tell its story. ## Roots and Affixes - Root: *h₂er- - Root: artifice - Root: *dʰeh₁- ## Etymology From Middle French artifice, from Latin artificium. ## AI Etymology Artifice is from Middle French artifice, from Latin artificium. Important recorded forms include *h₂er- (Proto-Indo-European), artifice (Middle French), and *dʰeh₁- (Proto-Indo-European). Current senses include clever but dishonest behaviour used to trick or deceive someone and a clever device or skilful method; a contrivance. ## Topics - Describing People markdown