'artifex' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'artifex', where 'ars/art-' meant 'skill, art' and the element derived from 'facere' (seen in the suffix '-fex') meant 'to make; do'.

'artifex' remained a standard Latin noun; through Medieval Latin and Old French forms it influenced English words such as 'artificer' and 'artifice' and contributed to related Romance terms. The Old French/Anglo-Norman forms (e.g. 'artificier'/'artificer') and Middle English adaptations led to the modern English derivatives.

Initially, it meant 'maker' or 'skilled craftsman'; over time the root broadened into senses of 'creator' and, via derivatives, into notions of 'skillful contrivance' (as in 'artifice') and specialized terms for artisans and artists.