LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · neutersecond declension

artificium

artificium n (genitive artificiī or artificī)

Meaning

  1. neuterart, craft, skill, talent, artifice, craftsmanship
  2. neuterprofession, trade, an employment

In the readers how our graded readers gloss it

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativeartificiumartificia
genitiveartificiī
artificī		artificiōrum
dativeartificiōartificiīs
accusativeartificiumartificia
ablativeartificiōartificiīs
vocativeartificiumartificia

Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book

opus summo artificio factum
a master-piece of classical work.
artificio et via tradere aliquid
to give a scientific explanation of a thing.

artĭfĭcĭum, ii, n. artifex.
I. In gen., the occupation of an artifex, a profession, trade, an employment, a handicraft, an art: Jam de artificiis et quaestibus, qui liberales habendi, qui sordidi sint, etc., Cic. Off. 1, 42, 150: ne opifices quidem tueri sua artificia possent, nisi, etc., id. Fin. 3, 2, 4: in artificio perquam tenui et levi (sc. scaenico), id. de Or. 1, 28, 129: sordidum ancillareque, id. Tusc. 5, 20, 58; so Tac. Or. 32; Sen. Ben. 6, 17: de hoc artificio est nobis acquisitio, * Vulg. Act. 19, 25: non tu in isto artificio accusatorio callidior es quam hic in suo, Cic. Rosc. Am. 17, 49 al.—
II. Esp.
A. Skill, knowledge, ingenuity in any thing: simulacrum Dianae singulari opere artificioque perfectum, Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 33; so id. ib. 2, 4, 21: quae certis signis artificii notata sunt, Auct. ad Her. 4, 4.—
B. Theory, system (cf. ars, I. C. 1.): non esse eloquentiam ex artificio, sed artificium ex eloquentiā natum, Cic. de Or. 1, 32, 146: existimant artificium esse hoc quoddam non dissimile ceterorum, cujusmodi de ipso jure civili Crassus componi posse dicebat, id. ib. 2, 19, 83: scientia cujusdam artificii non numquam dicitur prudentia, Auct. ad Her. 3, 2: artificium memoriae, mnemonics, id. ib. 4, 16.—
C. Skill serviceable in the attainment of any object, ingenuity, art, dexterity; and in a bad sense, craft, cunning, artifice (cf. ars, II.): id ipsum, quod contra me locutus es, artificio quodam es consecutus, Cic. de Or. 1, 17, 74: opus est non solum ingenio, verum etiam artificio quodam singulari, Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 40 fin.: vicinitas non assueta mendaciis, non fucosa, non fallax, non erudita artificio simulationis, id. Planc. 9: non virtute, neque in acie vicisse Romanos, sed artificio quodam et scientiā oppugnationis, Caes. B. G. 7, 29: quorum artificiis effectum est, ut res publica in hunc statum perveniret, id. ap. Cic. Att. 9, 8, C. fin.

Origins

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

Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁-der. Proto-Italic *-faks Latin -fex Latin artifex, artificis Proto-Indo-European *-(i)yós Proto-Italic *-ijos Proto-Italic *-ios Old Latin -ios Latin -iusnom. Latin -ium Latin artificium From artifex, artificis + -ium.

Descendants
  • Catalanartifici
  • Englishartifice
  • Frenchartifice
  • Italianartifizio
  • Italianartificio
  • Occitanartifici
  • Portugueseartifício
  • Romanianartificiu
  • Spanishartificio
  • Asturianartificiu

In English words that came into English from artificium

  • artificialartificiālis
  • artificeartificium

Quick answers

What does artificium mean in Latin?
artificium, a noun, means “art, craft, skill, talent, artifice, craftsmanship; profession, trade, an employment”.
What is the genitive of artificium?
The genitive singular is artificiī. artificium is neuter, second declension.
Where does artificium come from?
Proto-Indo-European *h₂er- → Proto-Indo-European *h₂értis → Proto-Italic *artis → Latin artificium.