smith

See also: Smith and smiþ

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /smɪθ/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪθ

Etymology 1

From Middle English smyth, smith, from Old English smiþ, from Proto-West Germanic *smiþ, from Proto-Germanic *smiþaz, from Proto-Indo-European *smēy-, *smī- (“to cut, hew”).

Cognate with Dutch smid, German Schmied, German Low German Smitt, Danish smed, Faroese smiður, Icelandic smiður, Norwegian Bokmål smed, Norwegian Nynorsk smed, Swedish smed, Yiddish שמיד (shmid).

Noun

smith (plural smiths)

1. A craftsperson who works metal into desired forms using a hammer and other tools, sometimes heating the metal to make it more workable, especially a blacksmith.
   • 1945 January and February, A Former Pupil, “Some Memories of Crewe Works—III”, in Railway Magazine, page 13:

     The smiths themselves were a grand lot of fellows, full of a robust, and sometimes Rabelaisian sense of humour, and between "heats," they could be most entertaining.

2. (by extension) One who makes anything; wright.
3. (archaic) An artist.

Synonyms

• metalsmith

Derived terms

• adsmith
• anchorsmith
• anvilsmith
• armorsmith
• armoursmith
• arrowsmith
• beatsmith
• blacksmith
• bladesmith
• boatsmith
• boilersmith
• brass-smith
• brasssmith
• brightsmith
• bronzesmith
• bucklesmith
• carriagesmith
• chainsmith
• clocksmith
• coachsmith
• cocksmith
• codesmith
• coinsmith
• coppersmith
• dicksmith
• dreamsmith
• fangsmith
• filesmith
• fingersmith
• forgesmith
• framesmith
• gagsmith
• gemsmith
• girdlesmith
• glassmith
• goldsmith
• gunsmith
• hammersmith
• horsesmith
• housesmith
• ironsmith
• jacksmith
• jawsmith
• jewelsmith
• jobsmith
• jokesmith
• keysmith
• knifesmith
• locksmith
• mastersmith
• metalsmith
• musicsmith
• nailsmith
• pansmith
• platinumsmith
• popsmith
• pulpsmith
• punsmith
• redsmith
• runesmith
• sawsmith
• scissorsmith
• scythesmith
• shapesmith
• shearsmith
• shieldsmith
• shoeingsmith
• shoesmith
• sicklesmith
• silversmith
• smithcraft
• Smithson
• smithwork
• smithwright
• songsmith
• spearsmith
• spellsmith
• swordsmith
• thundersmith
• tinsmith
• tiresmith
• toolsmith
• tunesmith
• versesmith
• wagonsmith
• weaponsmith
• websmith
• wheelsmith
• whitesmith
• wiresmith
• wondersmith
• wordsmith
• wrightsmith
• zincsmith

derived surnames

• Aldersmith
• Anglesmith
• Arrowsmith
• Athersmith
• Becksmith
• Blacksmith
• Bosmith
• Broadsmith
• Brooksmith
• Brownsmith
• Carleysmith
• Causbysmith
• Coopersmith
• Coppersmith
• Deansmith
• Drakesmith
• Fordsmith
• Goldsmith
• Goodesmith
• Gouldsmith
• Graysmith
• Greensmith
• Greysmith
• Grossmith
• Grovesmith
• Hallsmith
• Harrowsmith
• Hathersmith
• Highsmith
• Hillsmith
• Hudsmith
• Kingsmith
• Knightsmith
• Leasmith
• Leesmith
• Locksmith
• Lowesmith
• Martinsmith
• Mcsmith
• Mooresmith
• Naismith
• Nasmith
• Naysmith
• Neasmith
• Nesmith
• Neysmith
• Perrysmith
• Portsmith
• Roundsmith
• Schersmith
• Shawsmith
• Shearsmith
• Shoesmith
• Shoosmith
• Shouesmith
• Shouksmith
• Shucksmith
• Silversmith
• Sixsmith
• Steelsmith
• Sucksmith
• Whilesmith
• Whitesmith
• Wildsmith
• Wilesmith
• Willsmith
• Woodsmith
• Youngsmith

Related terms

• smiddy
• smithery
• smithy

Translations

craftsperson who works metal — see also blacksmith

• Abaza: жьи (źi)
• Abkhaz: ажьи (aži), ажьиҩы (ažijʷə)
• Adyghe: гъукӏэ (ğʷukʼɛ)
• Afrikaans: smid (af)
• Akkadian: 𒄥𒄥 (gur-gur /⁠qurqurru⁠/), 𒈾𒉺𒄷 (na-pa-ḫu /⁠nappāḫu⁠/), 𒋼𒁉𒊒 (te-bi-ru /⁠tebīru⁠/) (uncommon), 𒈾𒍣𒆪 (na-si₂-ku /⁠nāsiku⁠/) (Emar, from West-Semitic)
• Albanian: farkëtar (sq) m, farkëtare f, kovaç (sq) m,
• Arabic: حَدَّاد m (ḥaddād), قَيْن m (qayn)

  Moroccan Arabic: حداد (ḥaddād)

• Aramaic:

  Classical Syriac: ܩܑܝܢܳܝܳܐ (qaynāyā), ܚܵܫܘܿܠܵܐ (ḥaššōlā) / ܚܵܫܘܿܠܵܝܵܐ (ḥaššōlāyā) (Eastern Syriac), ܚܰܫܳܠܴܐ (ḥaššālā) (Western Syriac), ܩܱܪܕܳܚܳܐ (qardāḥā)

  Jewish Babylonian Aramaic: קֵינָאָה (qēnāʾā), קֵינָי (qēnāy) (absolute state), חָשְׁלָא (ḥašēlā)

  Jewish Palestinian Aramaic: absolute state קיני

• Armenian: դարբին (hy) (darbin)
• Aromanian: hirar m, favru m, favur m
• Assamese: কমাৰ (komar)
• Avar: къебед (qxʼebed)
• Azerbaijani: dəmirçi (az)
• Bashkir: тимерсе (timerse)
• Bats: მჭედელ (mč̣edel)
• Bavarian: Schmied m
• Belarusian: кава́ль m (kaválʹ)
• Bengali: কামার (bn) (kamar)
• Breton: gov (br) m
• Bulgarian: ковач (bg) m (kovač), ковачка f (kovačka)
• Catalan: ferrer (ca) m, ferrera (ca) f
• Chechen: аьчкан пхьар (äčkan pḥʳar)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 鍛工 / 锻工 (zh) (duàngōng), 鐵匠 / 铁匠 (zh) (tiějiàng)

• Chittagonian: haañr
• Chuvash: тимӗрҫӗ (timĕrś̬ĕ)
• Czech: kovář (cs) m
• Dalmatian: favro m
• Danish: smed (da) c
• Dhivehi: ކަނބުރު (kaᵐburu)
• Dutch: smid (nl) m
• Erzya: кузнець (kuzneć)
• Esperanto: forĝisto, forĝistino (female)
• Estonian: sepp
• Faroese: smiður m
• Finnish: seppä (fi)
• French: forgeron (fr) m, forgeronne (fr) f
• Friulian: fari m
• Galician: ferreiro (gl) m, ferreira f
• Georgian: მჭედელი (mč̣edeli)
• German: Schmied (de) m, Schmiedin (de) f

  Alemannic German: Schmid m (Uri), schméd m (Gressoney), schmét m (Formazza), schmid m (Issime, Carcoforo), schmìd m (Rimella)

• Greek: σιδηρουργός (el) m (sidirourgós), σιδεράς (el) m (siderás)

  Ancient: σιδηρουργός m (sidērourgós)

• Hattic: 𒌋𒊑𒋗 (u-re-šu /⁠ureš⁠/)
• Hebrew: נַפָּח (he) m (nappāḥ)
• Hindi: लोहार (hi) m (lohār)
• Hungarian: kovács (hu)
• Hurrian: 𒋰𒄿𒊑 (tab-i-ri /⁠tabali, tabiri⁠/)
• Icelandic: smiður (is) m, járnsmiður m, málmsmiður m
• Ido: forjisto (io)
• Igbo: please add this translation if you can
• Ingush: аьшка пхьар (äška pḥʳar)
• Irish: gabha m

  Old Irish: gobae m

• Italian: fabbro (it) m, fabro m (literary)
• Japanese: 鍛冶屋 (ja) (かじや, kajiya)
• Kabardian: гъукӏэ (kbd) (ğʷukʼɛ)
• Kalmyk: дархнч (darxnç)
• Kannada: ಕಮ್ಮಾರ (kn) (kammāra)
• Kazakh: ұста (kk) (ūsta)
• Kikuyu: mũturi class 1
• Korean: 대장장이 (ko) (daejangjang'i)
• Kott: afu-het
• Kumyk: please add this translation if you can
• Kurdish:

  Northern Kurdish: hesinkar (ku) m or f, asinger (ku) m or f

• Kyrgyz: темир уста (temir usta)
• Ladin: fever m
• Lao: ຊ່າງຕີເຫຼັກ (sāng tī lek)
• Latgalian: kaļvs m
• Latin: faber m
• Latvian: kalvis (lv) m, kalējs (lv) m
• Laz: დემირჯი (demirci)
• Lingala: mokɛ́lɛ́, motúli
• Low German:

  German Low German: Smitt m, Smidd m, Smedd m

• Macedonian: ковач m (kovač)
• Malay: pandai (ms), tukang (ms) (both for all fields, incl. gold and metal)
• Malayalam: please add this translation if you can
• Maltese: ħaddied m
• Marathi: कमार (kamār)
• Mingrelian: ჭკადუ (č̣ḳadu)
• Mòcheno: schmi' m
• Neapolitan: ferraro m
• Nepali: लौहकार (lauhakār)
• Ngambay: please add this translation if you can
• Norwegian:

  Norwegian Bokmål: smed m

  Norwegian Nynorsk: smed m

• Occitan: fabre (oc) m, faure (oc) m
• Odia: କମାର (or) (kamāra)
• Oromo: tumtuu
• Ossetian: куырд (k°yrd)
• Persian: پتکدار sg (potkdār), مدکش (madkaš)
• Plautdietsch: Schmett m
• Polish: kowal (pl) m
• Portuguese: ferreiro (pt) m, ferreira (pt) f
• Romanian: fierar (ro) m, făurar (ro) m
• Russian: кузне́ц (ru) m (kuznéc)
• Sardinian: frau m
• Scottish Gaelic: gobha m, ceàrd m
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Roman: kòvāč (sh) m, kovàčica (sh) f

• Sicilian: firraru m
• Sinhalese: කඹුරා (kaᵐburā)
• Slovak: kováč (sk) m, kováčka f
• Slovene: kovač (sl) m
• Somali: tumaal (so)
• Sorbian:

  Lower Sorbian: kowal m

  Upper Sorbian: kowar m

• Spanish: forjador m, forjadora (es) f
• Sumerian: 𒌣 (simug /⁠simug⁠/), 𒁾𒉄 (/⁠tabira, tibira⁠/) (or this is more properly a metalworker)
• Svan: მჷშკიდ (məšḳid)
• Swahili: mfua
• Swedish: smed (sv) c
• Tamil: கொல்லன் (ta) (kollaṉ)
• Tarifit: amzir m
• Tatar: тимерче (tt) (timerçe)
• Telugu: లోహకారుడు (lōhakāruḍu)
• Thai: ช่างตีเหล็ก (châang-dtii-lèk)
• Turkish: demirci (tr)
• Turkmen: demirçi
• Udmurt: дуриськись (duriśkiś)
• Ugaritic: 𐎐𐎒𐎋 (nsk /⁠nāsiku⁠/), 𐎉𐎁𐎍 (ṭbl), 𐎈𐎗𐎌 (ḥrš /⁠ḥarrāšu⁠/) (or this is just a multifaceted craftsmen assembling metal parts)
• Ukrainian: кова́ль (uk) m (koválʹ)
• Umbundu: please add this translation if you can
• Uzbek: temirchi (uz)
• Venetan: fravo m, favro m, favaro m
• Volapük: smitan (vo)
• Welsh: gof (cy) m
• Wolof: please add this translation if you can
• Yiddish: שמיד m (shmid), קאָוואַל (koval), קאָוועל (kovel)
• Yoruba: àgbẹ̀dẹ, alágbẹ̀dẹ
• Zarma: please add this translation if you can

Etymology 2

From Middle English smythen (“to work metal, forge, beat into, torment, refine (of God - to refine his chosen); to create, work as a blacksmith”), from Old English smiþian (“to forge, fabricate”), from Proto-West Germanic *smiþōn, from Proto-Germanic *smiþōną. Compare Dutch smeden, German schmieden.

Verb

smith (third-person singular simple present smiths, present participle smithing, simple past and past participle smithed)

1. To forge, to form, usually on an anvil; by heating and pounding.
   • 1828, Thomas Keightley, The Fairy Mythology, volume I, London: William Harrison Ainsworth, page 258:

     Sigurd took the very best sword
     That the Dwarfs had ever smithed.

References

• (2 archaic) William Anderson (1863). The Scottish Nation. A. Fullerton & Co.: Edinburgh. Page 479. Accessed 2008-03-04.

Middle English

Noun

smith

1. Alternative form of smyth

Old Saxon

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *smiþ, Proto-Germanic *smiþaz. Cognate with Old Dutch smith, Old Frisian smith, Old English smiþ, Old High German smid, Old Norse smiðr.

Noun

smith m

1. smith

Descendants

• Middle Low German: smit, smet, smede
  • German Low German: Smitt, Smidd, Smedd

    Plautdietsch: Schmett