Hypertext Webster Gateway: "sickle"
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).
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
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}.
When corn has once felt the sickle, it has no more
benefit from the sunshine. --Shak.
2. (Astron.) A group of stars in the constellation Leo. See
Illust. of {Leo}.
{Sickle pod} (Bot.), a kind of rock cress ({Arabis
Canadensis}) having very long curved pods.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
sickle
n : an edge tool for cutting grass or crops; has a curved blade
and a short handle [syn: {reaping hook}, {reap hook}]
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