Scythe, << syth, >> an implement with a curved cutting blade, was once used to harvest grain and hay. It had a long, bent wood shaft, called a snath, and one or two handles. A farmer either held both handles or held the snath and the one handle. Farmers in the American Colonies cut grain with a cradle scythe. This type of scythe had four or five long, wooden “fingers” mounted parallel to the blade. The fingers caught the fallen grain.
