'metalworking' originates from the combination of 'metal' and 'working', where 'metal' refers to a solid material that is typically hard, shiny, and malleable, and 'working' refers to the act of shaping or forming.

'metalworking' evolved from the Old English word 'metalle' and 'weorc', eventually becoming the modern English word 'metalworking'.

Initially, it meant 'the act of working with metal', and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.