artificial (English)

Where does "artificial" come from?

The word artificial traces back to the Latin term artificiālis, which described something created through human skill rather than nature. This Latin root combines ars, meaning 'skill' or 'joining,' with the suffix -fex, signifying a 'maker,' reflecting its deepest origins in the Proto-Indo-European roots for 'joining' and 'doing.' Entering English via Old French, the word eventually replaced the Old English equivalent 'cræftlīċ' to describe things made by human artifice.

Full etymology tree

artificial (English), 'Man-made; made by humans; of artifice.'
- inherited artificial (Middle English)
  - borrowed artificiel (Old French)
    - inherited artificiālis (Latin), 'artificial'
      - derived artificium (Latin), 'art, craft, skill, talent, artifice, craftsmanship'
        derived artifex (Latin), 'artist, actor'
        compound ars (Latin), 'art, skill, craft, handicraft'
        inherited *artis (Proto-Italic)
        inherited *h₂r̥tís (Proto-Indo-European)
        derived *h₂er- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to fit, to fix, to put together, to slot'
        compound -fex (Latin), 'denotes maker or performer'
        derived facere (Latin), 'present active infinitive of faciō'
        suffix -ium (Latin), 'Suffix used to form abstract nouns, sometimes denoting offices and groups. May no longer be productive.'
      - suffix -ālis (Latin), 'Suffixed to nouns or numerals creating adjectives of relationship.'

Direct ancestors

Updated July 2026

Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris