Sicle
/ˈsɪkəl/noun
An ancient unit of weight and money, especially the biblical Hebrew shekel.
Did you know?The sicle was not originally a coin but a measured weight of precious metal, linking ancient money directly to temple offerings, trade, and taxation.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
Proto-Semitic
*šiql-
“Weight; something weighed”
Ancient Hebrew
Hebrew
šeqel
“A standard weight, later a monetary unit”
Ancient Greek
Greek
síklos
“A Hebrew unit of weight or money”
Classical Latin
Latin
siclus
“A shekel or Jewish monetary weight”
Middle English
English
sicle
“A biblical or ancient unit of weight and money”
Modern English
English
sicle
“A variant or historical form of shekel”