scythe

/saɪð/

/saɪð/

Other forms: scythes; scythed; scything

A scythe is a sharp, curved blade used for mowing or reaping. While farmers use it to cut plants, the grim reaper uses it to, well, scare you to death.

In Old English, scythe was spelled siðe. Since there is no longer an ð in modern English, scythe became the accepted form of the word in the early 15th century. It drew its sc- start from the Latin scissor, meaning “carver, cutter.” Farmers use these tools to slice and trim grass and other plant stalks. Napoleon Bonaparte once noted that “Occupation is the scythe of time,” meaning that work mows down or diminishes time.

Definitions of scythe

1. noun

   an edge tool for cutting grass; has a long handle that must be held with both hands and a curved blade that moves parallel to the ground
   type of:

   edge tool

   any cutting tool with a sharp cutting edge (as a chisel or knife or plane or gouge)
2. verb

   cut with a scythe
   “scythe grass or grain”

   type of:

   cut down, mow

   cut with a blade or mower