Blacksmith is a compound of black (referring to black metals, i.e. iron) + smith (Old English smiþ 'one who works in metal'), distinguishing the iron-worker from a whitesmith (tinsmith). The historical trail runs through blæc in Old English and smiþ in Old English. Morphologically, blacksmith is transparent: it is a compound of black (referring to black metals, i. Used as a noun, blacksmith now means "a metalworker who forges and shapes iron with a hammer and anvil", so the present definition can be read against the older forms and meanings. The same lexical family is also visible in derived forms such as blacksmithing and related forms such as black and smith. The modern word remains analyzable through its parts, which makes the semantic connection unusually direct.