Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Artifice \Ar"ti*fice\, n. [L. artificium, fr. artifex artificer;
   ars, artis, art + facere to make: cf. F. artifice.]
   1. A handicraft; a trade; art of making. [Obs.]

   2. Workmanship; a skillfully contrived work.

            The material universe.. in the artifice of God, the
            artifice of the best Mechanist.       --Cudworth.

   3. Artful or skillful contrivance.

            His [Congreve's] plots were constructed without much
            artifice.                             --Craik.

   4. Crafty device; an artful, ingenious, or elaborate trick.

   Note: [Now the usual meaning.]

               Those who were conscious of guilt employed
               numerous artifices for the purpose of averting
               inquiry.                           --Macaulay.

Source : WordNet®

artifice
     n : a deceptive maneuver (especially to avoid capture) [syn: {ruse}]