A curved tool with a sharp blade, used for cutting grain and grass; also refers to the crescent shape of this tool.
From Latin 'secula' (a cutting tool), becoming 'sickle' in Old English. The shape of the tool gave rise to its association with crescent moon imagery, which appears on flags like those of communist countries.
The sickle and hammer are symbols of communism because they represent manual workers—the hammer for industrial workers and the sickle for agricultural workers—yet people often don't realize this comes from the literal tools used in traditional farming and labor.
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