smithy

American  

[smith-ee, smith-ee] / ˈsmɪθ i, ˈsmɪð i /

noun

plural

smithies

1. the workshop of a smith, especially a blacksmith.

2. a blacksmith.

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smithy British  

/ ˈsmɪðɪ /

noun

1. a place in which metal, usually iron or steel, is worked by heating and hammering; forge

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Etymology

Origin of smithy

1250–1300; Middle English smithi < Old Norse smithja; akin to Old English smiththe. See smith

Explanation

A smithy is the place where blacksmiths do their work, heating and shaping metal, especially to make tools. You can also call the blacksmith a smithy. Smithy is an old-fashioned word for an old-fashioned profession. A smithy's job involves heating metal and hammering it into the shape of things like axe heads or horseshoes. The workplace itself is less likely to be called a smithy these days and is more commonly referred to as a forge. Smithy and smith can both be traced back to a Proto-Indo-European root word that means "to cut."

Example Sentences

You can also visit the nearby village to stock up at a general store and visit a smithy to upgrade your weapons.

From The Verge • Aug. 25, 2022

"A long, long time ago, 1804, our family bought the Wrexham smithy and started doing blacksmithing," he said.

From BBC • Feb. 15, 2022

To the usual Burns toolbox of photo pans and archival film, “Hemingway” adds typewriter imagery — keys hammering on pages like irons in a smithy — and animations of manuscript editing.

From New York Times • Apr. 2, 2021

The philosophical core of the behind-the-scenes passages—the artist’s statement built into the art—describes Beyoncé forging the consciousness of her race in the smithy of her soul music.

From The New Yorker • Apr. 18, 2019

There was a garden behind the smithy, and when she saw the rows of low green shoots, a pang went through her as she remembered working with Maesie.

From "Huntress" by Malinda Lo

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