sickle
[ sik-uh l ]
/ ˈsɪk əl /
noun
an implement for cutting grain, grass, etc., consisting of a curved, hooklike blade mounted in a short handle.
(initial capital letter) Astronomy. a group of stars in the constellation Leo, likened to this implement in formation.
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Origin of sickle
before 1000; Middle English sikel, Old English sicol; cognate with Dutch zikkel, German Sichel, all ≪ Latin secula, equivalent to sec(āre) to cut + -ula -ule
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for sickle
British Dictionary definitions for sickle
sickle
/ (ˈsɪkəl) /
noun
an implement for cutting grass, corn, etc, having a curved blade and a short handle
Word Origin for sickle
Old English sicol, from Latin sēcula; related to secāre to cut
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for sickle
sickle
Old English sicol, probably a West Germanic borrowing (cf. Middle Dutch sickele, Dutch sikkel, Old High German sihhila, German Sichel) from Vulgar Latin *sicila, from Latin secula "sickle" (cf. Italian segolo "hatchet"), from PIE root *sek- "to cut" (see section (n.)). Applied to curved or crescent-shaped things from mid-15c. Sickle-cell anemia is first recorded 1922.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Medicine definitions for sickle
sickle
[ sĭk′əl ]
v.
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.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.