Contrivance

Part of speech: noun (n.)

1. The act or faculty of contriving, inventing, devising, or planning. The machine which we are inspecting demonstrates, by its construction, contrivance and design. Contrivance must have had a contriver. Paley.

2. The thing contrived, invented, or planned; disposition of parts or causes by design; a scheme; plan; atrifice; arrangement. Government is a contrivance of human wisdom to provide for human wants. Burke.

Synonyms: Device; plan; scheme; invention; machine; project; design; artifice; shift. See Device.