Sep 16, 2000 11:04
23 yrs ago
German term
rswihart
wordsmyth
Non-PRO
German to English
Art/Literary
i'm quite certain "smyth" is an archaic version of "smith." you see, i'd like to use the older "wordsmyth" in a poem. please verify my hypothesis and give me etymological reference, if possible. in other words, when did the "smyth" become "smith," were they contemporaries for a time, etc. (i know it's not a german word but i can only ask if i posit a translational question. they need to have a site just for english questions!!! maybe there is one but i just haven't found it yet???) thanks, rls.
Proposed translations
(English)
| 0 | How we do it. |
Nancy Schmeing
|
| 0 | See below |
Randi Stenstrop
|
Proposed translations
37 mins
Nancy Schmeing
Canada
Canada
Native in English
Canada
When saying it right matters. Reasonable
Native in: English 
Works in: German to English
Related KudoZ points
:
328
Selected
How we do it.
Hi! Here's how we find things, so you can do it, too. I did a search on Northern Light search engine, first URL below, on smyth AND archaic. It resulted in 403 items in 279 sources. The AND means I want both words to appear in the selections. They arranged the findings into folders so that I can more easily find what matches my needs. I put the second URL there for you because it is a good resource for classics on the internet; you may find it useful, with 27,000 images of art and architecture and lots of other things.
The next search I did was for smyth AND etymological and found 99 items, arranged into folders.
Have a look! It takes time to browse them, but if you search as I explained, you can find the same things, and you will enjoy looking and learn a great deal, too!
Best wishes, Nancy
The next search I did was for smyth AND etymological and found 99 items, arranged into folders.
Have a look! It takes time to browse them, but if you search as I explained, you can find the same things, and you will enjoy looking and learn a great deal, too!
Best wishes, Nancy
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "didn't answer every aspect (the chronologically second answerer added some things too), but gave good references and i found this helpful. now i can do more of this sort of thing on my own. possibly."
2 hrs
Randi Stenstrop
Elegant Precision
Native in: Danish
Works in: Swedish to Danish, English to Danish, German to Danish, and 1 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
265
See below
The word "smith" is a good Old English (Anglo-Saxon) word that has remained practically unchanged. They had a special letter for the "th" sound, but that's all. As "mi" was hard to read when hand-written in minuscules because it was hard to see where one letter ended and another began, the spelling "smyth" became customary - and gradually obsolete when printing did away with this problem.
In Anglo-Saxon it meant a handicraftsman such as a blacksmith, an armourer or a carpenter.
About the minuscule style of writing:
Carolingian minuscule was the first such style to emerge. This clear and manageable script was developed by Alcuin of York and his English monks at the Abbey of St. Martin's at Tours, Fr. Alcuin was the emperor Charlemagne's organizer of educational reforms between 781 and 790 AD. In order to carry out the enormous task assigned, Alcuin needed an easy-to-read script that could set a standard for the copying of the Vulgate Bible of St. Jerome.
In Anglo-Saxon it meant a handicraftsman such as a blacksmith, an armourer or a carpenter.
About the minuscule style of writing:
Carolingian minuscule was the first such style to emerge. This clear and manageable script was developed by Alcuin of York and his English monks at the Abbey of St. Martin's at Tours, Fr. Alcuin was the emperor Charlemagne's organizer of educational reforms between 781 and 790 AD. In order to carry out the enormous task assigned, Alcuin needed an easy-to-read script that could set a standard for the copying of the Vulgate Bible of St. Jerome.
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