Smithe

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An archaic spelling meaning to strike someone or something hard with a blow or weapon
2. Old form of the verb meaning to hit forcefully, as with a sword, fist, or other heavy implement
3. Used in older English for the act of delivering a powerful blow to a person or object

Etymology: Smithe is an older spelling of "smith," the word for a worker who shapes metal by heating and hammering it. The final "e" was once a common way of spelling the vowel in words like this, and the form persisted in surnames long after the ordinary spelling had settled into "smith." Many family names that end in "-e" preserve the same occupational origin. The core meaning is unchanged: the word named a craftsman who worked iron and other metals, and the same root appears in compounds such as "goldsmith" and "blacksmith." Because the trade was so widespread, the name became one of the most common surnames in English.