Metalworks

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A place or facility where metal is processed, shaped, and constructed into various forms and items for use
2. An establishment dedicated to the creation and manipulation of metal products, including fabrication and design
3. A workshop or factory specializing in the treatment and assembly of metal materials for industrial or artistic purposes

Etymology: "Metalworks" is about as plain as compounds get: "metal" joined to "works," with the second part used in its old sense of a place where work is carried on. A "works" was originally a site of operations, which is why we still speak of a gasworks or a waterworks, places where a particular material is processed or a particular service is produced. Put together, the word names a factory or workshop devoted to metal, the sort of place where raw material is cut, shaped, joined and finished. The term follows the same pattern as many other industrial names in English, where the material comes first and "works" marks the premises.