Where does “gunsmith” come from?
Gunsmith derives from English gun and English smith, with smith ultimately tracing to Proto-Germanic smiþaz and Proto-Indo-European smēy-, meaning to carve or shape.
gunsmith (English): a person skilled in the repair and servicing of...
Definitions
- a person skilled in the repair and servicing of...
Ancestry of “gunsmith”, step by step
gunsmith traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English gun
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | gun | A device for projecting a hard object very... |
| 2 | Middle English | gunne | A trebuchet or similar kind of pellet-firing... |
| 3 | Old Norse | Gunnhildr | — |
| 4 | Old Norse | Gunnr | battle, war |
| 5 | Old Norse | guðr | battle, war |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | gunþiz | battle |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷʰéntis | striking, killing |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷʰen- | to strike, slay, kill |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰon- | — |
via English Smith
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Smith | (the most common in Britain, the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand) |
| 2 | Middle English | smiþ | Alternative form of smyth |
| 3 | Middle English | smyth | A blacksmith; one who works with iron; A... |
| 4 | Old English | smiþ | smith |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | *smiþ | craftsman, smith |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | smiþaz | craftsman, smith |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | smēy- | — |