scythe
Americannoun
verb (used with object)
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
has scythedperfect 3rd person singular
-
have scythedperfect
-
have been scythingperfect progressive
-
am scythingprogressive 1st person singular
-
are scythingprogressive
-
is scythingprogressive 3rd person singular
-
has been scythingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
-
scythessingular 3rd person
-
scythingparticiple
Past
-
had scythedperfect
-
were scythingprogressive plural
-
had been scythingperfect progressive
-
scythedparticiple
-
was scythingprogressive singular
-
scythedsimple
Future
Etymology
Origin of scythe
before 900; Middle English sith, Old English sīthe, earlier sigdi; cognate with Old Norse sigthr; spelling sc by pseudoetymological association with Latin scindere to cut or with scissors
Explanation
A scythe is a sharp, curved blade used for mowing or reaping. While farmers use it to cut plants, the grim reaper uses it to, well, scare you to death. In Old English, scythe was spelled siðe. Since there is no longer an ð in modern English, scythe became the accepted form of the word in the early 15th century. It drew its sc- start from the Latin scissor, meaning “carver, cutter.” Farmers use these tools to slice and trim grass and other plant stalks. Napoleon Bonaparte once noted that “Occupation is the scythe of time,” meaning that work mows down or diminishes time.
Vocabulary lists containing scythe
The Lightning Thief
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A Long Walk to Water
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Esperanza Rising
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Alright, I’m paraphrasing, but it’s true: A deluge of new franchise installments hitting theaters every year is as sure of a bet as gambling that the grim reaper’s scythe will be razor-sharp.
From Salon • Jan. 3, 2025
Kyogo Furuhashi doesn't need to don the cloak and scythe of the grim reaper when he fetches up at Ibrox on Sunday.
From BBC • Apr. 6, 2024
Since taking over Twitter, Elon Musk has taken a scythe to the social network’s employee roll, in an increasingly severe campaign to slash costs.
From New York Times • Feb. 27, 2023
“We foreshadow what the Wolf will reveal he is later in the story by having his sickle, or scythe, having that same kind of framing.”
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 21, 2023
She desperately wanted to believe she wasn’t scythe material.
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
