artifact : Java Glossary

Ivy and Maven use this misleading terminology for the deliverable program file which is the end result of programming effort. In ordinary English, artefact (British spelling) means an object made by a human being. It is hardly a descriptive term for a deliverable. I don’t think the Maven designer who chose this term had the foggiest clue what it meant. Maybe he heard Captain Picard use it and it sounded futuristic.

Gradle sometimes calls these artifacts and sometimes publications.