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
- one who practices locksmithing; someone who only...
Ancestry of “locksmith”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | lock | Something used for fastening, which can only be... |
| 2 | Old English | loc | lock; that by which anything is closed; an... |
| 3 | Old English | stede | place |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | stadi | place |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | stadiz | place, location |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | stéh₂tis | standing, position |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | *steh₂- | — |
Words derived from “locksmith”