to forge on an anvil; form by heating and pounding: to smith armor.
Origin of smith
before 900; (noun) Middle English,Old English; cognate with GermanSchmied,Old Norsesmithr,Gothic-smitha; (v.) Middle Englishsmithen,Old Englishsmithian; cognate with Old Norsesmitha,Gothicgasmithōn
Old English; related to Old Norse smithr, Old High German smid, Middle Low German smīde jewellery, Greek smilē carving knife
Smith
noun
Adam. 1723–90, Scottish economist and philosopher, whose influential book The Wealth of Nations (1776) advocated free trade and private enterprise and opposed state interference
Alexander McCall. born 1948, Scottish writer and academic, born in Zimbabwe. His novels include The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (1998), The Sunday Philosophy Club (2004) and 44 Scotland Street (2005)
Bessie, known as Empress of the Blues. 1894–1937, US blues singer and songwriter
Delia. born 1941, British cookery writer and broadcaster: her publications include The Complete Cookery Course (1982)
Ian (Douglas). 1919–2007, Zimbabwean statesman; prime minister of Rhodesia (1964–79). He declared independence from Britain unilaterally (1965)
John. ?1580–1631, English explorer and writer, who helped found the North American colony of Jamestown, Virginia. He was reputedly saved by the Indian chief's daughter Pocahontas from execution by her tribe. Among his works is a Description of New England (1616)
John. 1938–94, British Labour politician; leader of the Labour Party 1992–94
Joseph. 1805–44, US religious leader; founder of the Mormon Church
Dame Maggie. born 1934, British actress. She has appeared in the films The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969), California Suite (1978), The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne (1988), The Secret Garden (1993), Gosford Park (2001), the Harry Potter series (2001–11), and in the TV series Downton Abbey (from 2010)
Stevie, real name Florence Margaret Smith. 1902–71, British poet. Her works include Novel on Yellow Paper (1936), and the poems `A Good Time was had by All' (1937) and `Not Waving but Drowning' (1957)
Sydney. 1771–1845, British clergyman and writer, noted for The Letters of Peter Plymley (1807–08), in which he advocated Catholic emancipation
Will (ard Christopher). born 1968, US film actor and rap singer; star of the television series The Fresh Prince of Bel Air (1990–96) and the films Men In Black (1997), Ali (2001), and I Robot (2004)
Wilbur. born 1933, British novelist, born in Zambia. His novels include Where the Lion Feeds (1964), Monsoon (1999) and The Quest (2007)
William. 1769–1839, English geologist, who founded the science of stratigraphy by proving that rock strata could be dated by the fossils they contained
Old English smið "blacksmith, armorer, one who works in metal" (jewelers as well as blacksmiths), more broadly, "handicraftsman, practitioner of skilled manual arts" (also including carpenters), from Proto-Germanic *smithaz "skilled worker" (cf. Old Saxon smith, Old Norse smiðr, Danish smed, Old Frisian smith, Old High German smid, German Schmied, Gothic -smiþa, in aiza-smiþa "coppersmith"), from PIE root *smi- "to cut, work with a sharp instrument" (cf. Greek smile "knife, chisel"). Attested as a surname since at least c.975.
smith
v.
Old English smiðian "to forge, fabricate, design," from the source of smith (n.). Related: Smithed; smithing.
American microbiologist who isolated bacterial enzymes that could split genetic DNA into fragments large enough to retain genetic information but small enough to permit chemical analysis. The existence of these compounds (called restriction enzymes) was earlier predicted by Werner Arber, and their discovery revolutionized genetic engineering. For this work Smith shared the 1978 Nobel Prize for physiology or medicine with Arber and Daniel Nathans.
