1. an object made by humans, especially one of historical or cultural interest
Usage: British spelling; American spelling is ‘artifact’
2. something observed in a scientific investigation that is not naturally present but occurs as a result of the preparative or investigative procedure
Usage: technical; scientific

Examples

• The museum displayed ancient artefacts from the Roman Empire.
• Archaeologists discovered stone artefacts at the excavation site.
• The pottery artefacts revealed information about daily life in medieval times.
• Digital restoration removed compression artefacts from the old photograph.
• The researcher identified several artefacts in the data that skewed the results.
• Bronze Age artefacts were found buried beneath the construction site.