The artefact seen depends on the procedure.
Artefacts in electronic readout devices (e.g., EEG, EKG, and EMG) may be due to loose leads or electrical contacts.Īn electrical impulse of noncardiac origin which is recorded as a vertical spike on an EKG or other ECG monitor (e.g., a pacemaker pulse) electrical signals from muscle contractions, or myopotentials, are called muscle artefacts.Īny change in tissue that occurs during tissue processing which may alter a tissue’s appearance and possibly the diagnosis. (2) The distortion of a substance or signal which interferes with or obscures the interpretation of a study, or a structure that is not representative of a specimen’s in vivo state, or which does not reflect the original sample, but rather is the result of an isolation procedure, its handling or other factors. artefact (1) A structure not normally present, but produced by some external action something artificial. Apart from this slight difference, both words refer to an old object with special importance for history.The American Heritage® Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2007, 2004 by Houghton Mifflin Company. "Artefact" is the British noun that has the same meaning with "artifact", its American spelling. Consequently, even though they mean the same, it is recommended that you use "artifact" if you are writing to an American English speaker, in order to avoid confusion or unwanted debates upon the correctitude of this word. "Artifact" is defined as the US spelling of "artefact". So, obviously, you should only use "artefact" when you communicate in British English or when you are sure that your interlocutor has a good knowledge of English grammar and orthography and is aware of the fact that both "artefact" and "artifact" are considered correct. In American English, "artefact" is most likely to be considered wrong, as the US spelling for this noun is actually "artifact". You can see below in which context it is recommended to use the first form, and in which situation the second one is more appropriate. They often refer to special elements that carry historical interest and are very old.Īs for the difference between the spellings of these two words, as already mentioned above, it comes from the preferences that the US and the UK have for each. Find out which those are to keep your English vocabulary elegant anytime.īoth nouns, "artefact" and "artifact", define a special object, usually with a special design or signification. Similarly written and having the same meaning, "artefact" and "artifact" represent a pair of words that refer to the same thing, yet have some subtle restrictions regarding the contexts in which it's recommended to use each. But did you ever notice that the British pronunciation for this noun is slightly different than the American one? Well, this is because their spellings are also quite different. You have probably heard this word frequently used in mystery/adventure movies or games: artifact.