Sickle

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Sickle \Sic"kle\, n. [OE. sikel, AS. sicol; akin to D. sikkel,
     G. sichel, OHG. sihhila, Dan. segel, segl, L. secula, fr.
     secare to cut; or perhaps from L. secula. See {Saw} a cutting
     instrument.]
     1. A reaping instrument consisting of a steel blade curved
        into the form of a hook, and having a handle fitted on a


        tang. The sickle has one side of the blade notched, so as
        always to sharpen with a serrated edge. Cf. {Reaping
        hook}, under {Reap}.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              When corn has once felt the sickle, it has no more
              benefit from the sunshine.            --Shak.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. (Astron.) A group of stars in the constellation Leo. See
        Illust. of {Leo}.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     {Sickle pod} (Bot.), a kind of rock cress ({Arabis
        Canadensis}) having very long curved pods.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  sickle
       n : an edge tool for cutting grass or crops; has a curved blade
           and a short handle [syn: {reaping hook}, {reap hook}]

From Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary [easton]:

  Sickle
     of the Egyptians resembled that in modern use. The ears of corn
     were cut with it near the top of the straw. There was also a
     sickle used for warlike purposes, more correctly, however,
     called a pruning-hook (Deut. 16:9; Jer. 50:16, marg., "scythe;"
     Joel 3:13; Mark 4:29).