Sicel
/ˈsi.tʃel/noun
An Old English word for a sickle, a curved blade used for cutting crops.
Did you know?Sicel belongs to the same ancient “cutting” family as words such as *scissors* and *insect*, whose Latin root literally suggested something “cut into.”
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*sek-
“To cut”
Classical Latin
Latin
secare
“To cut”
Late Latin
Latin
secula
“A sickle or cutting instrument”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*sikilō
“A sickle”
Old English
Old English
sicel
“A sickle, a curved agricultural blade”
Middle English
English
sikel / sikle
“A sickle”
Modern English
English
sickle
“A short-handled, crescent-shaped blade used for harvesting”