English
sickle
Sickle comes from Middle English sikel ‘a sickle’, from Latin secō ‘to cut, cleave’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *sek-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sek-‘to cut’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*sekaō‘to cut’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsecō‘to cut, cleave’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEsēcula
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*sikilureconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150sicol
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500sikel‘a sickle’
- Englishearliest quotation 1609sickle
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sek-‘to cut’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*sekaō‘to cut’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsecō‘to cut, cleave’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEsēcula
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*sikilureconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150sicol
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500sikel‘a sickle’
- Englishearliest quotation 1609sickle
Earliest quotation: 1609, William Shakespeare, Sonnet 116: “Lou's not Times foole, though roſie lips and cheeks…”
The story
Remotely related with English scythe and saw.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *sek- ‘to cut’
saw, design, ship, sign, seal, sack, sawyer, scarlet, sax, scythe, shingle, sedge, sain, sigil, sich, desiccation, desiccant, 59 more
through Proto-Italic *sekaō ‘to cut’
sexuality, homosexual, dissection, 18 more
through Latin secō ‘to cut, cleave’
sex, risk, section, sexual, segment, insect, het, dissect, seg, brassica, 21 more
Today it means
noun An implement having a semicircular blade and short handle, used for cutting long grass and cereal crops.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *sek- / sickle