Smith

How to spell smith

5 letters · 1 syllable

How to pronounce smith

What does smith mean?

1. nounA craftsman who shapes metal, especially one who forges iron at a forge.

Smith in a sentence

• The village smith repaired the broken gate hinge before nightfall.

• A skilled smith heated the iron bar until it glowed and could be shaped.

Where does smith come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

Smith is a thoroughly native word, descending directly from the Old English smið, which meant a craftsman or worker in metal, and it has close cousins across the Germanic languages, including the Old Norse smiðr and the German Schmied. The deeper root is thought to relate to the idea of striking, cutting, or working with a tool, which fits neatly with the hammer-and-anvil image the word still calls up. Because metalworkers were essential to every village, the occupation became one of the commonest of all English surnames, which is why Smith remains the most widespread family name in the English-speaking world. The word also formed many useful compounds, such as blacksmith (a worker in black metal, that is, iron), goldsmith, and locksmith, each naming the material or product the craftsman handled. The spelling has stayed remarkably stable for over a thousand years, and its simple, short form rarely troubles modern writers.

How the word is built

• smith (Old English smið: metalworker, craftsman); single root, no affixes