Artifice (&unr_;), n. [L. artificium, fr. artifex artificer; ars, artis, art + facere to make: cf. F. artifice.] 1. A handicraft; a trade; art of making. [Obs.]
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2. Workmanship; a skillfully contrived work.
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The material universe . . . in the artifice of God, the artifice of the best Mechanist. Cudworth.
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3. Artful or skillful contrivance.
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His [Congreve's] plots were constructed without much artifice. Craik.
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4. Crafty device; an artful, ingenious, or elaborate trick. [Now the usual meaning.]
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Those who were conscious of guilt employed numerous artifices for the purpose of averting inquiry. Macaulay.
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