Armoursmiths

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Skilled workers who forge, shape, and fashion protective metal armour for soldiers and warriors
2. Craftspeople who manufacture and repair suits of armour, helmets, and other defensive metalwork
3. Artisans who construct and maintain protective metal gear by hammering, welding, and finishing metal pieces

Etymology: "Armoursmiths" is simply the plural of "armoursmith," a compound of "armour" and "smith." The second element is the older and more important one: "smith" comes from Old English "smið," a word for a craftsman who works metal, and it has been used this way for a very long time, with the same root turning up across Germanic languages. An armoursmith, then, is a smith who makes armour, the protective plate and mail worn in battle and, later, in tournaments and ceremony. The first element, "armour," entered English through Old French "armure" from Latin "armatura," meaning equipment or gear for fighting, a word built from "armare," to arm. The compound itself is transparent: it names the trade plainly, which is why the word has never needed a special history to explain it.

Synonyms: armorer