Where does “wordsmith” come from?
wordsmith (English) comes from English Smith, from Middle English smiþ, from Middle English smyth, from Old English smiþ, from Proto-West Germanic *smiþ, from Proto-Germanic smiþaz, from Proto-Indo-European smēy-.
wordsmith (English): One who uses words skillfully; To apply...
Definitions
- One who uses words skillfully; To apply...
Ancestry of “wordsmith”, step by step
wordsmith traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
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- | — |
via English Word
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Word | Scripture; The Bible; The creative word of God;... |
| 2 | English | worth | Having a value of; proper to be exchanged for;... |
| 3 | Middle English | worth | to become |
| 4 | Old English | weorþ | worth, deserving; honoured, esteemed; worth,... |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | werþaz | worthy, valuable |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | wert- | to turn, to rotate |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | wer- | to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel |