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.
The Scythe, a sumptuously wounded ballad released as the album's second single, goes even further back.
From BBC • Oct. 15, 2025
Scythe, with its grim artwork and elaborate rules, is a great example of the kind of game the hobby game industry has traditionally made—the kind of game Hargrave, all those years ago, was reacting to.
From Slate • Aug. 15, 2021
Scythe is one of the biggest hits in recent years in which you compete for resources and territory with giant mechs in a 1920s alternate Europe.
From The Verge • Apr. 30, 2019
One of Swanson’s game author idols, Jamey Stegmaier of St. Louis, raised $1.8 million to get Scythe to market.
From Washington Times • Jan. 20, 2017
It seemed Scythe Goddard had an answer for everything.
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.
