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Farrier is now usually applied specifically to a blacksmith who specializes in shoeing horses, a skill that requires not only the ability to shape and fit horseshoes, but also the ability to clean, trim, and shape a horse's hooves. When farrier first appeared in English (as ferrour), it referred to someone who not only shoed horses, but who provided general veterinary care for them as well. Middle English ferrour was borrowed from the Anglo-French word of the same form, which referred to a blacksmith who shoes horses. That word derives from the verb ferrer ("to shoe horses"), which can ultimately be traced back to Latin ferrum, meaning "iron."
Examples of farrier in a Sentence
Idaho Statesman, 2 July 2025
In the Middle Ages, aprons made from leather and heavy canvas were worn by farriers, cobblers, butchers, blacksmiths and other tradesmen desiring heavy duty protection from the perils of their work.
—Nicole Mowbray, CNN Money, 25 June 2025
The influencer farriers seem to have heralded a new heyday for the craft.
—Sarah Maslin Nir, New York Times, 21 May 2025
Brennan reported that the nurses on horseback also had a farrier on site to aid any horses in case they got hurt on the rough terrain.
—Catherine Jessee, Southern Living, 4 Oct. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Farrier.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/farrier. Accessed 20 Jul. 2025.
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