different between element vs artifact

English

Etymology

From Middle English element, from Old French element, from Latin elementum (“a first principle, element, rudiment”) (see further etymology there).

Pronunciation

• enPR: ?l'?m?nt, IPA^(key): /??l?m?nt/
• Hyphenation: el?e?ment

Noun

element (plural elements)

1. One of the simplest or essential parts or principles of which anything consists, or upon which the constitution or fundamental powers of anything are based.
   • 1881, Benjamin Jowett, Thucydides

     The simplicity which is so large an element in a noble nature was laughed to scorn.

   1. (chemistry) Any one of the simplest chemical substances that cannot be decomposed in a chemical reaction or by any chemical means and made up of atoms all having the same number of protons.
   2. One of the four basic building blocks of matter in theories of ancient philosophers and alchemists: water, earth, fire, and air.
   3. (law) A required aspect or component of a cause of action. A deed is regarded as a violation of law only if each element can be proved.
   4. (set theory) One of the objects in a set.
   5. Any of the teeth of a zip fastener.
2. A small part of the whole.
3. (obsolete) The sky.
   • 1748, Samuel Richardson, Clarissa, Letter 69:

     Sometimes, solitude is of all things my wish; and the awful silence of the night, the spangled element, and the rising and setting sun, how promotive of contemplation!

4. (plural only, with "the") Atmospheric forces such as strong winds and rains.

5. A place or state of being that an individual or object is best suited to.

6. (Christianity, usually in the plural) The bread and wine taken at Holy Communion.
7. A group of people within a larger group having a particular common characteristic.

8. A component in electrical equipment, often in the form of a coil, having a high resistance, thereby generating heat when a current is passed through it.

10. (computing) One of the conceptual objects in a markup language, usually represented in text by tags.

Synonyms

• (in chemistry): chemical element, firststuff (rare, nonstandard)
• (in set theory): member

Hyponyms

• chemical element
• data element
• heating element

Derived terms

• single-element

Related terms

• elemental
• elementary

Translations

See also

• atom

Verb

element (third-person singular simple present elements, present participle elementing, simple past and past participle elemented)

1. (obsolete) To compound of elements.
   • 1633, John Donne, A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning

     those things which elemented [love]

   • 1661, Robert Boyle, The Sceptical Chymist:

     elemented bodies

   • 1681, Maunyngham, Disc., page 89:

     thou art elemented and organed

2. (obsolete) To constitute and be the elements of.
   • 1658, Izaak Walton, Life of Donne:

     His very soul was elemented of nothing but sadness.

Related terms

• transelement

Further reading

• element in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• element in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

References

• Lehmann, R.G. (2011). "27-30-22-26 - How many letters needs an alphabet?". In de Voogt, A.; Quack, J.F. The Idea of Writing: Writing Across Borders. Brill. pp. 15–16, note 8.

Anagrams

• leetmen

Catalan

Etymology

From Latin elementum.

Pronunciation

• (Balearic) IPA^(key): /?.l??ment/
• (Central) IPA^(key): /?.l??men/
• (Valencian) IPA^(key): /e.le?ment/

Noun

element m (plural elements)

1. element (clarification of this definition is needed)

Derived terms

• elemental
• element químic

Further reading

• “element” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “element” in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana.
• “element” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “element” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Crimean Tatar

Etymology

From Latin elementum

Noun

element

1. element.

Declension

References

• Mirjejev, V. A.; Usejinov, S. M. (2002) Ukrajins?ko-kryms?kotatars?kyj slovnyk [Ukrainian – Crimean Tatar Dictionary]?^[1], Simferopol: Dolya, ?ISBN

Danish

Noun

element n (singular definite elementet, plural indefinite elementer)

1. (set theory) element

Declension

References

• “element” in Den Danske Ordbog

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch element, from Old French element, from Latin elementum (“a first principle, element, rudiment”), of uncertain origin (see further etymology there).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?e?.l??m?nt/
• Hyphenation: ele?ment
• Rhymes: -?nt

Noun

element n (plural elementen, diminutive elementje n)

1. element
2. (chemistry) element
3. (set theory) element

Derived terms

• elementair

Descendants

• ? Indonesian: elemen

Anagrams

• leemten

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Latin elementum

Noun

element n (definite singular elementet, indefinite plural element or elementer, definite plural elementa or elementene)

1. an element

References

• “element” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Latin elementum

Noun

element n (definite singular elementet, indefinite plural element, definite plural elementa)

1. an element

References

• “element” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Polish

Etymology

From Latin elementum.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??l?.m?nt/

Noun

element m inan

1. element (component, piece of a larger whole)
2. (derogatory) element (group of people)

Declension

Further reading

• element in Wielki s?ownik j?zyka polskiego, Instytut J?zyka Polskiego PAN
• element in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Romanian

Etymology

From French élément, from Latin elementum.

Noun

element n (plural elemente)

1. element

Declension

Serbo-Croatian

Alternative forms

• (Bosnian, Serbian): elèmenat

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /el?ment/
• Hyphenation: e?le?ment

Noun

elèment m (Cyrillic spelling ???????)

1. element

Declension

Swedish

Pronunciation

Noun

element n

1. element; basic building block of matter in ancient philosophy
2. element; a place or state of being that an individual or object is better suited towards
3. elements; forces of weather
4. element; an object in a set
5. (mathematics) element of a matrix
6. heating element, radiator
7. (computing) element; object in markup language

Declension

Related terms

• elementär
• elementa
• elementar-

Turkish

Etymology

From German Element.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [?.le.?ment]
• Hyphenation: e?le?ment

Noun

element (definite accusative elementi, plural elementler)

1. (chemistry) element

Declension

English

Etymology

Alteration of artefact, from Italian artefatto, from Latin arte (“by skill”) (ablative of ars (“art”)) + factum (“thing made”) (from facio (“to make, do”)).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /???t?fækt/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /???t?fækt/, [-??-], [-??-]
• Hyphenation: ar?ti?fact

Noun

artifact (plural artifacts)

1. An object made or shaped by human hand or labor.
2. An object made or shaped by some agent or intelligence, not necessarily of direct human origin.
3. Something viewed as a product of human agency or conception rather than an inherent element.
   • 2004, Philip Weiss, American Taboo: A Murder In The Peace Corps

     The very act of looking at a naked model was an artifact of male supremacy.
4. A finding or structure in an experiment or investigation that is not a true feature of the object under observation, but is a result of external action, the test arrangement, or an experimental error.

5. (archaeology) An object, such as a tool, ornament, or weapon of archaeological or historical interest, especially such an object found at an archaeological excavation.
6. (biology) An appearance or structure in protoplasm due to death, the method of preparation of specimens, or the use of reagents, and not present during life.
7. (computing) A perceptible distortion that appears in an audio or video file or a digital image as a result of applying a lossy compression algorithm.

Usage notes

The spelling artifact is preferred by most American dictionaries, while artefact is the preferred spelling in Australia’s Macquarie Dictionary with artifact listed as a variant.

Alternative forms

• artefact (Australian and British spelling)

Translations

Further reading

• artifact in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• “artifact”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–present.