An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/Schmied

by Friedrich Kluge

Schmied, masculine, ‘smith,’ from Middle High German smit, Old High German smid, masculine, ‘worker in metal.’ Gothic aiza-smiþa, ‘smith,’ literally ‘worker in brass,’ and ga-smiþôn, ‘to work (do smith’s work),’ show that the High German meaning is specialisation of the signification ‘faber, worker in art’; Old Icelandic smiðr, masculine, ‘worker in metal or wood’; compare Anglo-Saxon smiþ, English smith, Dutch smid. Modern High German Schmiede, feminine, based on Schmied, is derived from the equivalent Middle High German smitte, Old High German smitta, feminine, ‘smithy,’ which again comes from Gothic *smiþjo (þj became þþj in West Teutonic, and the þþ was permutated to tt in High German; compare Fittich); compare Old Icelandic smiðja, Anglo-Saxon smiþþe, feminine, English smithy, and the equivalent Dutch smisse. With the root smī̆, ‘to work artistically in hard material — wood, brass,’ preserved in Gothic *smi-þa, masculine, are connected Old High German smeidar, ‘artist, artifex daedalus,’ and the words discussed under Geschmeide. Compare also Greek σμΐλη ‘graving tool,’ σμι-νύη, ‘hoe.’ For its connection with other terms see under schmeicheln.