Etymologically
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artificial

Etymology and origin of the English word artificial

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
c. 1390
Borrowed from
Old French artificial
Ultimate origin
Latin (ars,facio)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˌɑː.tɪˈfɪʃ.əl/ (UK); /ˌɑɹ.təˈfɪʃ.əl/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Old French artificial, artificiel,[2][3][4] from Latin artificiālis (“of art; according to the rules of art”), from artificium (“a work of art; skill”) (see artifice),[3][2][5] from artifex (“craftsman”), from the stem of ars (“art”) and facere (“to make”).[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the phrase artificial day, the part of the day from sunrise to sunset as opposed to the natural day of 24 hours: about 1390, in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales.[2][3]

Semantic evolution

Made by human skill rather than occurring naturally is from the early 15th century, probably about 1425 in Barnhart.[3][2] From the 16th century it was applied to anything made in imitation of or as a substitute for something natural, such as artificial light or teeth (1577).[3][6] Full of affectation, insincere, is from the 1590s, and fictitious or not genuine from the 1640s.[3] Artificial insemination is from 1894, artificial satellites from 1920,[3][6] and artificial intelligence was coined in 1956.[3] In Scots and Somerset dialect artificial meant chemical manure.[7]

Timeline

  • c. 1390 – artificial day, in Chaucer.[2]
  • c. 1425 – made by human skill.[2]
  • 1577 – made in imitation.[6]
  • 1590s – insincere.[3]
  • 1894 – artificial insemination.[3]
  • 1956 – artificial intelligence.[3]

Modern meaning

Adjective

  1. Made by people rather than occurring naturally: artificial light.
  2. Made as a copy of something natural; fake or imitation: artificial flowers.
  3. Not sincere; affected: an artificial smile.

Word family

  • artificiality
  • artificially
  • artificialness
  • overartificial
  • unartificial
  • artificial intelligence
  • artificial selection
  • artificial turf
  • artifact
  • artifice
  • artificer
  • art

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ a b c Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Artificial.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/artificial. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·