What's the difference between
and
Enter two words to compare and contrast their definitions, origins, and synonyms to better understand how those words are related.

Artifact vs Document - What's the difference?

artifact | document |

As nouns the difference between artifact and document

is that artifact is an object made or shaped by human hand while document is an original or official paper relied upon as the basis, proof, or support of anything else, including any writing, book, or other instrument conveying information pertinent to such proof or support any material substance on which the thoughts of men are represented by any species of conventional mark or symbol.

As a verb document is

to record in documents.

artifact

English

Alternative forms

* artefact

Noun

(en noun)
  • An object made or shaped by human hand.
  • (archaeology) An object, such as a tool, weapon or ornament, of archaeological or historical interest, especially such an object found at an archaeological excavation.
    • The dig produced many Roman artifacts .
  • Something viewed as a product of human conception or agency rather than an inherent element.
  • * "The very act of looking at a naked model was an artifact of male supremacy" (Philip Weiss).
  • A structure or finding 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.
    • The spot on his lung turned out to be an artifact of the X-ray process.
  • An object made or shaped by some agent or intelligence, not necessarily of direct human origin.
  • (computing) A perceptible distortion that appears in a digital image, audio or video file as a result of applying a lossy compression algorithm.
    • This JPEG image has been so highly compressed that it has too many unsightly compression artifacts , making it unsuitable for the cover of our magazine.

    References

    * * "artefact" is the preferred spelling in Australia’s Macquarie Dictionary'', with ''artifact listed as a variant. * "artifact" is preferred by the Oxford English Dictionary and most American dictionaries.

    document

    English

    Noun

    (wikipedia document) (en noun)
  • An original or official paper relied upon as the basis, proof, or support of anything else, including any writing, book, or other instrument conveying information pertinent to such proof or support. Any material substance on which the thoughts of men are represented by any species of conventional mark or symbol.
  • * Paley
    • Saint Luke judged to be authentic.
  • (obsolete) That which is taught or authoritatively set forth; precept; instruction; dogma.
  • * I. Watts
    • Learners should not be too much crowded with a heap or multitude of documents or ideas at one time.
  • (obsolete) An example for instruction or warning.
  • * Sir Walter Raleigh
    • They were forthwith stoned to death, as a document to others.

    Derived terms

    * *

    Related terms

    * * * * * * * *

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To record in documents.
    • He documented each step of the process as he did it, which was good when the investigation occurred.
  • To furnish with documents or papers necessary to establish facts or give information.
    • A ship should be documented according to the directions of law.

    References

    * English heteronyms ----