Artificialities

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The features that signify a lack of authenticity, being made through human creation rather than occurring organically
2. The components that reveal something as manufactured, distinct from what is naturally present or unadulterated
3. Elements or items created or produced by human intervention rather than arising naturally ; characteristics that show something is not genuine or naturally occurring but instead contrived or fake

Etymology: The word "artificialities" is simply the plural of "artificiality", so it is best understood through its base. "Artificial" came into English through Old French from Latin "artificialis", built on "artificium", meaning a craft or skilled work. That Latin noun was itself formed from "artifex", a craftsman, combining "ars" (skill, art) with "-fex", from a root meaning to make or do. The suffix "-ity", which turns an adjective into a noun of quality, passed into English through Old French from Latin "-itas". Attaching it to "artificial" produced "artificiality", the state of being made by human skill rather than arising naturally. The plural form "artificialities" then names the individual signs of that quality, such as a stiff pose or a forced laugh that gives away something as contrived.