scythe

scythe
—scytheless, adj. —scythelike, adj.
/suydh/, n., v., scythed, scything.
n.
1. an agricultural implement consisting of a long, curving blade fastened at an angle to a handle, for cutting grass, grain, etc., by hand.
v.t.
2. to cut or mow with a scythe.
[bef. 900; ME sith, OE sithe, earlier sigdi; c. ON sigthr; spelling sc by pseudoetymological assoc. with L scindere to cut or with SCISSORS]

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▪ tool
      one of the most important of all agricultural hand tools, consisting of a curved blade fitted at an angle to a long, curved handle and used for cutting grain. In modern scythes the handle has a projecting peg that is grasped by one hand, facilitating control of the swinging motion by which grass and grain are cut. The exact origin of the scythe is unknown, but it was little used in the ancient world. It came into wide use only with agricultural developments of the Carolingian era (8th century AD) in Europe, when the harvesting and storing of hay became important to support livestock through winters.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • scythe — [ sit ] adj. et n. • av. 1580; scytique « barbare » XVIe; lat. scythicus ♦ Qui est relatif à la Scythie, aux Scythes, peuple de l Antiquité qui habitait le sud de la Russie actuelle. On dit aussi SCYTHIQUE [ sitik ] adj. ⊗ HOM. Site. ● scythe… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Scythe — (s[imac]th), n. [OE. sithe, AS. s[=i][eth]e, sig[eth]e; akin to Icel. sig[eth]r a sickle, LG. segd, seged, seed, seid, OHG. segansa sickle, scythe, G. sense scythe, and to E. saw a cutting instrument. See {Saw}.] [Written also {sithe} and {sythe} …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Scythe — Bandera …   Wikipedia Español

  • Scythe — Scythe, v. t. To cut with a scythe; to cut off as with a scythe; to mow. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] Time had not scythed all that youth begun. Shak. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • scythe — scythe·less; scythe·man; scythe; …   English syllables

  • scythe — [sīth] n. [altered (infl. by L scindere, to cut) < ME sithe < OE sithe, sigthe, scythe, akin to LowG seged < IE base * sek , to cut > SAW1, L secare, to cut] a tool with a long, single edged blade set at an angle on a long, curved… …   English World dictionary

  • scythe — ► NOUN ▪ a tool used for cutting crops such as grass or corn, with a long curved blade at the end of a long pole. ► VERB 1) cut with a scythe. 2) move through or penetrate rapidly and forcefully. ORIGIN Old English …   English terms dictionary

  • scythe — [ saıð ] noun count a tool used for cutting long grass or grain, consisting of a wooden handle and a long curved metal blade …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • Scythe — For the ancient Sicilian tyrant, see Scythes. A scythe (PronEng|ˈsaɪð, from Old English siðe Oxford English Dictionary 1933] .) is an agricultural hand tool for mowing grass or reaping crops. It was largely replaced by horse drawn and then… …   Wikipedia

  • Scythe — Cette page d’homonymie répertorie les différents sujets et articles partageant un même nom. Scythe peut faire référence à : Les Scythes, un ensemble de peuples nomades d origine indo européenne, Scythe, une entreprise japonaise produisant… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • scythe — {{11}}scythe (n.) O.E. siðe, sigði, from P.Gmc. *segithoz (Cf. M.L.G. segede, M.Du. sichte, O.H.G. segensa, Ger. Sense), from PIE root *sek cut (see SECTION (Cf. section)). The sc spelling crept in early 15c., from influence of L. scissor …   Etymology dictionary

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