What does sickle mean?
A sickle is a traditional hand tool with a short handle and a curved blade, traditionally used for harvesting grain and cutting grass. Its distinctive crescent profile has also made the word a useful metaphor for a narrow, curved shape, as in a “sickle moon” or a “sickle-shaped” symbol. Although a sickle differs from a scythe in scale and design, both are agricultural cutting implements: a sickle is generally smaller and is worked with a short, controlled motion, while a scythe has a long snath and is used with sweeping strokes. The word can also be used as a verb, meaning to cut with a sickle, although this form is now relatively uncommon. Today, “sickle” most often evokes traditional harvesting, but it remains useful in describing anything with a sharply curved, blade-like outline.
A hand-held tool with a short handle and a curved blade, used for cutting crops or grass.
"He carried a sickle and a wooden bucket into the field."
In contemporary English, the word is also used for a crescent shape resembling a sickle blade.
To cut or reap with a sickle.
"They sickled the tall grass along the edge of the field."
This verb is relatively uncommon and has a traditional or rural register.
The standard plural refers to multiple sickles or to several sickle-shaped forms.
"The display included medieval sickles and other agricultural tools."
A sickle is both an ancient harvesting tool and a shape that has inspired symbols of the moon, silver, and sharp curves.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does sickle come from?
The English word “sickle” comes from Old English “sicol,” an inherited Germanic word for a curved cutting tool. The form appears in English with spelling variants such as “siccle,” and its development reflects the long-standing use of curved agricultural implements for reaping. Modern sense development extended the word from the physical tool to the crescent shape of its blade.
Related word forms
How sickle is actually used
As a noun, “sickle” is standard in both British and American English. The verb is comparatively uncommon in modern general usage and most often means to cut something with a sickle.