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Talisman vs Artifact - What's the difference?

talisman | artifact |

As nouns the difference between talisman and artifact

is that talisman is talisman (magical amulet) while artifact is an object made or shaped by human hand.

talisman

English

Noun

(s) (wikipedia talisman)
  • A magical object worn for protection against ill will, or the supernatural, or to confer the wearer with a boon such as good luck, good health, or power(s).
  • * 1997 — John Peel, War of the Daleks , ch. 10 p. 233
    • She kept low, clutching the rifle she'd taken as though it were a magic talisman , as if it would somehow protect her even though she didn't fire it.
  • * '>citation
  • * 1916 — Frank Baum, Rinkitink in Oz , ch. 1
    • I have in my possession three Magic Talismans , which I have ever guarded with utmost care, keeping the knowledge of their existence from anyone else.

    Derived terms

    * talismen (non-standard plural)

    See also

    * amulet * medallion * rosary

    See also

    Image:talis02.png, An amulet from the Black Pullet grimoire. Image:Taweret_amulet.jpg, Ancient Egyptian ibis-headed Thoth amulet, New Kingdom, Dynasty XVIII, c. 1539-1292 BC. Image:Tartaria amulet.png, Drawing of clay amulet unearthed near Tartaria, Romania. Image:Amulette-japonaise.jpg, An omamori, or o-mamori (), a Japanese amulet Image:Gotland-Bro-kyrka 19.jpg, A crucifix, considered in Christian tradition as a defense against demons. ----

    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.