LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · masculinethird declension

artifex1

artifex m or f (genitive artificis)
Classical[ˈar.tɪ.fɛks]Ecclesiastical[ˈar.ti.feks]
Mille Verba core vocabulary

Meaning

  1. femininemasculineartist, actor
  2. femininemasculinecraftsman, master (of a craft)
    Vitruvius, De Architectura, Book I, Chapter I, section 3; English translation by Frank Granger Neque enim ingenium sine disciplina aut disciplina sine ingenio perfectum artificem potest efficere. For neither talent without instruction nor instruction without talent can produce the perfect craftsman.
  3. femininemasculinemastermind, schemer
  4. femininemasculinecreator, the Creator

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

quī arte opera pulchra facit: statuās, imāginēs, ōrnāmenta.
artifex -icis m — in Mille Verba, Artēs et Litterae
quī artem exercet, faber summus
artifex -icis (m) — in Metamorphoses I, ch. 15

Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms

Faber · Opifex · Artifex

Fabri (from favere, fovere,) are such workmen as labor with exertion of bodily strength, carpenters and smiths, χειρώνακτες; opifices such as need mechanical skill and industry, βάναυσοι; artifices such as employ mind and invention in their mechanical functions, τεχνῖται. (v. 329.)

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativeartifexartificēs
genitiveartificisartificum
dativeartificīartificibus
accusativeartificemartificēs
ablativeartificeartificibus
vocativeartifexartificēs

Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book

disserendi peritus et artifex
an accomplished dialectician.

artĭfex, fĭcis, m. ars-facio.
I. Subst.
A. 1.. One that is master in the liberal arts (while opifex is a master in the artes sordidae; cf. ars, I. B. 1.), an artist, artificer: illi artifices corporis simulacra ignotis nota faciebant, Cic. Fam. 5, 12: reponendarum (tegularum) nemo artifex (i. e. architectus) inire rationem potuit, Liv. 42, 3: in armamentario multis talium operum (sc. tormentorum) artificibus de industriā inclusis, id. 29, 35: ut aiunt in Graecis artificibus eos auloedos esse, qui citharoedi fieri non potuerint, sic, etc., Cic. Mur. 13, 29; cf. Ov. M. 11, 169 al.: artifices scaenici, Cic. Arch. 5, 10; id. Quinct. 25; Suet. Caes. 84: artifex lignorum, a carpenter, Vulg. 2 Reg. 5, 11; so, artifex lignarius, ib. Isa. 44, 13: artifices lapidum, masons, ib. 2 Reg. 5, 11: artifex aerarius, a worker in bronze, ib. 3 Reg. 7, 14 (often thus used in Vulg. for opifex).—Also absol.: artifex, Plaut. Am. prol. 70: multi artifices ex Graeciā venerunt, Liv. 39, 22; so id. 5, 1; 5, 7; 5, 2; 41, 20; so Vulg. Exod. 36, 4; ib. Isa. 40, 20; ib. Act. 19, 24 et saep.—So of a charioteer, as in Gr. τεχνίτης: ne hoc gloriae artificis daretur (auriga standing just before), Plin. 7, 53, 54, § 186.—Of a physician, Liv. 5, 3. —Of an orator or writer: Graeci dicendi artifices et doctores, Cic. de Or. 1, 6, 23: cum contra talem artificem (sc. Hortensium oratorem) dicturus essem, id. Quinct. 24 fin.: politus scriptor atque artifex, id. Or. 51, 172. —
2. Trop., a master in any thing, in doing any thing, etc.: artifices ad corrumpendum judicium, Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 71: artifex callidus comparandarum voluptatum, id. Fin. 2, 35, 116: Cotta in ambitione artifex, Q. Cic. Petit. Cons. 12, 47: serendae in alios invidiae artifex, Tac. H. 2, 86 al. —
B. A maker, originator, author, contriver: si pulcher est hic mundus, si probus ejus artifex, etc., Cic. Tim. 2: cujus (civitatis) artifex et conditor (est) Deus, Vulg. Heb. 11, 10: artifex omnium natura, Plin. 2, 1, 1, § 3: si indocta consuetudo tam est artifex suavitatis, id. Or. 48, 161: artificem (sc. malorum) mediis immittam Terea flammis, Ov. M. 6, 615: vadit ad artificem dirae Polymestora caedis, id. ib. 13, 551: sceleris infandi artifex, Sen. Agam. 975.—Ironic.: O artificem probum! Ter. Phorm. 2, 1, 29.—Also for a sly, cunning contriver, inventor of a thing (cf. ars, II. fin.): et mihi jam multi crudele canebant Artificis scelus, Verg. A. 2, 125; 11, 407. —
II. Adj.
A. Act., skilled in a thing; skilful, practised, ingenious, dexterous: Bomilcar et per homines talis negotii artifices itinera explorat, Sall. J. 35, 5: miles decollandi artifex, Suet. Calig. 32: artifex faber de silvā, Vulg. Sap. 13, 11: tam artifices saltationis, Suet. Tit. 7.—Also of inanimate things: artifices Natura manus admovit, Ov. M. 15, 218: Tellus artifices ne terat Osca manus, Prop. 5, 2, 62: artifex, ut ita dicam, stilus, Cic. Brut. 25, 95: mobilitas ignea artifex ad formanda corpora, Plin. 6, 30, 35, § 187: vir tam artificis ingenii, id. 8, 16, 21, § 55 al.—Poet. with inf.: venter, negatas artifex sequi voces, Pers. prol. 11.—
B. Pass., skilfully prepared or made, artistic, artificial, ingenious: quattuor artifices vivida signa boves, Prop. 3, 29, 8: tantae tamque artifices argutiae, Plin. 10, 29, 4, § 85: artifex dimicatio, id. 8, 40, 61, § 150: motus, Quint. 9, 4, 8: manus libratur artifici temperamento, Plin. 12, 25, 54, § 115: artifex vultus, Pers. 5, 40: plaga, Sol. 35 al.—Poet. of a horse, broken, trained, Ov. A. A. 3, 556.

Origins

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₂er-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*h₂értis
  3. Proto-Italic*artis
  4. Latinartifex

Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁-der. Proto-Italic *-faks Latin -fex Latin artifex From ars (“art”) + -fex (“suffix representing a maker or producer”).

Elsewhere
  • Catalanàrtífex
  • Portugueseartífice
  • Spanishartífice
  • Galicianartífice
Italo-Romance
  • Italianartefice
  • Sicilianartìfici

In English words that came into English from artifex

  • artificialartificiālis
  • artificeartificium
adjectivethird-declension one-termination adjective
artifex2
artifex (genitive artificis)
Classical[ˈar.tɪ.fɛks]Ecclesiastical[ˈar.ti.feks]
Mille Verba core vocabulary

Meaning

  1. one terminationskilled, artistic
  2. one terminationexpert
  3. one terminationartful, cunning
  4. one terminationcreative

Declension

singular
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativeartifexartifexartifex
genitiveartificisartificisartificis
dativeartificīartificīartificī
accusativeartificemartificemartifex
ablativeartificī
artifice		artificī
artifice		artificī
artifice
vocativeartifexartifexartifex
plural
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativeartificēsartificēsartificia
genitiveartificiumartificiumartificium
dativeartificibusartificibusartificibus
accusativeartificīs
artificēs		artificīs
artificēs		artificia
ablativeartificibusartificibusartificibus
vocativeartificēsartificēsartificia

Origins

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₂er-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*h₂értis
  3. Proto-Italic*artis
  4. Latinartifex

Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁-der. Proto-Italic *-faks Latin -fex Latin artifex From ars (“art”) + -fex (“suffix representing a maker or producer”).

Quick answers

What does artifex mean in Latin?
artifex, a noun, means “artist, actor; craftsman, master (of a craft); mastermind, schemer”.
What is the genitive of artifex?
The genitive singular is artificis. artifex is masculine, third declension.
How do you pronounce artifex?
In classical Latin, [ˈar.tɪ.fɛks]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈar.ti.feks].
Where does artifex come from?
Proto-Indo-European *h₂er- → Proto-Indo-European *h₂értis → Proto-Italic *artis → Latin artifex.