Sickle
/ˈsɪk.əl/noun
A curved hand tool used for cutting grain or grass.
Did you know?The word ultimately comes from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning “to cut,” and its curved shape later made the sickle a powerful symbol in myth, astrology, and the imagery of harvest and death.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*sek-
“to cut”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*sikilaz
“a cutting tool, sickle”
Old English
OE
sicol
“a sickle”
Middle English
English
sikel
“a sickle”
Modern English
English
sickle
“a curved hand tool for cutting grain or grass”