artificiality
UK[ˌɑːtɪˌfɪʃiˈæləti]US[ˌɑːrtɪˌfɪʃiˈæləti]
n
the quality of being artificial; something that is not natural or genuine.
Morpheme Breakdown
artific
ial
ity
artific
skill, craft
ial
adjective suffix
ity
noun suffix
Etymology
the word 'artificiality' embarks on a journey from the tangible world of skilled making to the abstract realm of human contrivance. its core, 'artific', originates in latin 'artificium', denoting craftsmanship, which itself springs from 'artifex'—a maker or artisan, a compound of 'ars' (skill) and 'facere' (to make). the suffix '-ial' attaches to form the adjective 'artificial', meaning "made by art or skill," historically describing objects crafted by human hands as opposed to nature. the final abstraction into a quality is achieved by adding the noun-forming suffix '-ity', common in latin-derived vocabulary. thus, the literal progression from "the state of being made by skill" evolves into the modern concept of a quality that is human-made, contrived, and lacking natural spontaneity.
Analysis
Structure: artific (skill, craft) + ial (adjective suffix) + ity (noun suffix)
artific: from latin 'artificium' (craftsmanship, art), from 'artifex' (craftsman), combining 'ars' (art, skill) and 'facere' (to make). functions as the core root.
ial: a latin-derived suffix forming adjectives meaning "of or pertaining to".
ity: a latin-derived suffix forming abstract nouns indicating a state or quality.
Examples
the artificiality of the dialogue made the film hard to believe.
she was tired of the artificiality of high-society manners.
critics pointed out the artificiality of the laboratory conditions compared to the real world.