Word of the day: Factitious

Factitious

[fak-TIH-shəs]

Part of speech: adjective

Origin: Latin, 17th century

Artificially created or developed.

Examples of factitious in a sentence

"Outside the fun house, a factitious talking horse gave instructions to those about to enter."

"The restaurant’s dim lighting is factitious and helped by enormous shades that block out the sun."

About Factitious

“Factitious” is based on the Latin “facticius,” meaning “made by art.”

Did you Know?

The Latin root of “factitious” means “made by art” (or “artificial”). In this way, it differs from the near-homonym “fictitious,” which is based on the Latin verb “fingō,” meaning “to deceive.” In the early days of modern chemistry, between the 17th and 19th centuries, the term “factitious air” was used to describe gases generated by human intervention. For example, the bubbles in fermenting beer occur as a result of mixing water, barley, and yeast. Even though such gas is naturally occurring, an early scientist might have believed each carbon-dioxide bubble contained factitious air created by human endeavor.