Smythe

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An old spelling of smith, a worker who shapes metal by hammering ; a family name borne by people of English descent
2. A variant form of the word smith meaning one who forges metal ; a surname carried by various individuals
3. An archaic spelling for a metalworker or blacksmith ; a last name shared by a number of notable people

Etymology: Smythe is a surname spelling of "Smith," the trade name that, in English, has long been applied to anyone who worked metal by heating and hammering it. The variant spelling with a "y" and a final "e" is one of the many ways the same family name was written before English spelling settled, and it survives today as a distinct surname in its own right. Anyone bearing it carries the same ancestral link to a blacksmith's forge as the far more common spelling.