- artificial
- late 14c., "made by man" (opposite of natural), from O.Fr. artificial, from L. artificialis "of or belonging to art," from artificium (see artifice). Another early use was in the phrase artificial day "part of the day from sunrise to sunset" (late 14c.). Artificial insemination dates from 1897. Artificial intelligence "the science and engineering of making intelligent machines" was coined in 1956.