Cutting down and gathering crops like grain or wheat when they're ready to harvest.
From Old English 'repan,' related to Germanic roots. The word is ancient, appearing in various forms across European languages related to harvesting grain.
The phrase 'reaping what you sow' connects the two halves of farming, but here's the thing: reaping requires timing—harvest too early and the grain is weak, too late and it falls on the ground. So the metaphor actually means you get consequences proportional to your actions, not just any consequence.
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