Where does “locksmith” come from?

Locksmith comes from Old English loc (lock) and Old English smiþ (smith), both deriving from Proto-Indo-European lewg- (to bend or turn) and an agent suffix -eh₂.

locksmith (English): one who practices locksmithing; someone who only...

Definitions

  1. one who practices locksmithing; someone who only...

Ancestry of “locksmith”, step by step

locksmith traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English lock

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishlockSomething used for fastening, which can only be...
2Old Englishloclock; that by which anything is closed; an...
3Old Englishstedeplace
4Proto-West Germanicstadiplace
5Proto-Germanicstadizplace, location
6Proto-Indo-Europeanstéh₂tisstanding, position
7Proto-Indo-European*steh₂-—

via English smith

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishsmithA craftsperson who works metal into desired forms...
2Middle EnglishsmithAlternative form of smyth
3Old Englishsmiþsmith
4Proto-West Germanic*smiþcraftsman, smith
5Proto-Germanicsmiþazcraftsman, smith
6Proto-Indo-Europeansmēy-—

Words derived from “locksmith”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European *steh₂- →