[sik-uh
l] 
| 1. | an implement for cutting grain, grass, etc., consisting of a curved, hooklike blade mounted in a short handle. |
| 2. | (initial capital letter) Astronomy. a group of stars in the constellation Leo, likened to this implement in formation. |
| sick·le (sĭk'əl) n.
v. tr.
To assume an abnormal crescent shape. Used of red blood cells. adj. Shaped like the blade of a sickle; crescent-shaped: a sickle moon. [Middle English sikel, from Old English sicol, from Vulgar Latin sicila, from Latin sēcula; see sek- in Indo-European roots.] |
sickle sick·le (sĭk'əl)
v. sick·led, sick·ling, sick·les
To cut with a sickle.
To deform a red blood cell into an abnormal crescent shape.
To assume an abnormal crescent shape. Used of red blood cells.
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).
sickle
one of the most ancient of harvesting tools, consisting of a metal blade, usually curved, attached to a short wooden handle. The short handle forces the user to harvest in a stooped or squatting position. The longer-handled scythe, the user of which remains upright, evolved from the sickle. Harvesting with a sickle is very slow, but because of its simplicity and low cost, it is still widely used over the world, especially to reap cereals such as wheat and rice and also as a gardening tool.
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