Enameler

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person skilled in the art of applying enamel to various surfaces, often creating intricate designs or durable finishes
2. Someone who specializes in the decorative process that involves fusing powdered glass to a substrate through high heat
3. An artisan involved in a craft that combines metalworking and painting techniques to produce colorful, protective coatings on objects

Etymology: The word is simple in construction: "enamel" with the agent suffix "-er," so it names the person who does enamelling. The suffix has a long lineage of its own. It descends from Latin "-arius," which English picked up through Old French "-ier" in the Middle Ages, and the same ending appears in older English forms like "-ere," so the suffix has been doing this job in the language for centuries. The base word carries the more interesting history. "Enamel" was borrowed from Old French "esmail," itself tied to the Germanic root behind "smelt," which points to the melting of metal, the glassy material being fused onto a metal surface. An enameler, then, is someone who melts coloured glass onto metal, which is why the craft sits so naturally between metalworking and painting.

Synonyms: glazer