artifact

artifact definition - medical

ar·ti·fact or ar·te·fact (ärˈtə-făktˌ)

noun
  1. A structure or substance not normally present but produced by an external agent or action, such as a structure seen in a microscopic specimen after fixation that is not present in the living tissue.
  2. A skin lesion produced or perpetuated by self-inflicted action.

Related Forms:

  • arˌti·fac·tiˈtious (-făk-tĭshˈəs), arˌti·facˈtu·al (-făkˈcho͝o-əl) adjective

The American Heritage® Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Comments
Improve this definition.
Do you have more to add? Share your linguistic knowledge or observation.
/Register to save your comments.