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scythe

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scythe

  • /ˈsaɪð/
  • /ˈsaɪθ/

Rhymes with -aɪð, -aɪθ

Where it comes from

From Middle English sythe, sithe, from Old English sīþe, sīgþe, sigdi (“sickle”), from Proto-West Germanic *sigiþi, from Proto-Germanic *sigiþiz, *sigiþō, derived from *seg- (“saw”), from Proto-Indo-European *sek- (“to cut”).

Immediate Germanic cognates include Middle Low German sēgede, Dutch zicht, Icelandic sigð (all “sickle”). More distantly related with Dutch zeis, German Sense (both “scythe”). Also akin to English saw, which see.

The silent c crept in during the early 15th century owing to folk-etymological association with Medieval Latin scissor (“tailor, carver”), from Latin scindō (“to cut, rend, split”).

The verb, which was first used in the intransitive sense, is from the noun.

noun scythes · sithe · sythe · zive

  1. An instrument for mowing grass, grain, etc. by hand, composed of a long, curving blade with a sharp concave edge, fastened to a long handle called a snath. And nothing 'gainst Time's scythe can make defence Save breed, to brave him when he takes thee hence.
  2. historical A scythe-shaped blade attached to ancient war chariots.
  3. The tenth Lenormand card.

verb scythes · scything · scythed · sithe · sythe

  1. intransitive To use a scythe.
  2. transitive To cut with a scythe.
  3. transitive To cut off as with a scythe; to mow.
  4. figuratively, intransitive, often, with through To attack or injure as if cutting. The boy began to keen, and the high-pitched noise scythed through Song's head.

Translations

Every language

noun farm tool

Españolguadaña, dalle, segote, dalla
한국어큰낫 keunnat
日本語大鎌 ōgama
中文鐮刀 /镰刀 liándāo, 大鐮刀 /大镰刀 dàliándāo, 大鐮 /大镰 dàlián, 釤刀 /钐刀 shāndāo, 釤鐮 /钐镰 shānlián
हिन्दीदराँती darā̃tī, हँसिया hãsiyā
Kiswahilifyekeo
Portuguêsgadanha, foice
Françaisfaux
DeutschSense
Italianofalce
Ελληνικάκόσα kósa
Românăcoasă
Русскийкоса́ kosá
Tiếng Việtlưỡi hái
العربيةمِنْجَل minjal, مِقْضَب miqḍab
עבריתחֶרְמֵשׁ khermésh

noun blade in the wheel of a war chariot

DeutschSichel

verb to cut with a scythe

Españolguadañar
中文刈 yì
Portuguêsceifar, gadanhar, segar
Françaisfaucher
Deutschsensen, mähen
Italianofalciare
Русскийкоси́ть kosítʹ, скоси́ть skosítʹ

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Cite this
MLA

"scythe." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/scythe. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

scythe. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/scythe

Chicago

"scythe." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/scythe.

BibTeX
@misc{scythe_2026,
  title = {scythe},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/scythe},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}