sickle
Americannoun
-
an implement for cutting grain, grass, etc., consisting of a curved, hooklike blade mounted in a short handle.
-
Astronomy. Sickle, a group of stars in the constellation Leo, likened to this implement for its curved, sickle-like shape.
noun
Etymology
Origin of sickle
First recorded before 1000; Middle English sikel, Old English sicol; cognate with Dutch zikkel, German Sichel, all ultimately derived from Latin secula, equivalent to sec(āre) “to cut” + -ula -ule
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.
Beyond entertainment, Shepard devoted herself to raising awareness for sickle cell anemia after a friend died of the affliction.
From Los Angeles Times
Units from people with rare blood like Stoddart-Stones are used for patients with the same rare blood who are having an operation or need regular transfusions because of disorders such as sickle cell disease.
From BBC
People living with sickle cell disease have red blood cells that are crescent shaped due to a gene mutation.
From Los Angeles Times
In her hands was a sickle moon, and behind her was an outcrop of spindly red trees with branches that looked like crooked fingers.
From Literature
“Economically, the two groups fit together,” Ms. Ziegelman points out, with Christian farmers hawking livestock, produce, wood, straw and animal hides, while Jews sold clothing, housewares and other products, “from soap to sickles.”
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.
