Part 374

4. To become weak; to decay; to languish.

All pleasures sicken, and all glories sink.

Pope.

Sick"en*ing (?), a. Causing sickness; specif., causing surfeit or disgust; nauseating. -- Sick"en*ing*ly, adv.

Sick"er (?), v. i. [AS. sicerian.] (Mining) To percolate, trickle, or ooze, as water through a crack. [Also written sigger, zigger, and zifhyr.] [Prov. Eng.]

{ Sick"er, Sik"er }, a. [OE. siker; cf. OS. sikur, LG. seker, D. zeker, Dan. sikker, OHG. sihhur, G. sicher; all fr. L. securus. See Secure, Sure.] Sure; certain; trusty. [Obs. or Prov. Eng. & Scot.] Burns.

When he is siker of his good name.

Chaucer.

{ Sick"er, Sik"er }, adv. Surely; certainly. [Obs.]

Believe this as siker as your creed.

Chaucer.

Sicker, Willye, thou warnest well.

Spenser.

{ Sick"er*ly, Sik"er*ly }, adv. Surely; securely. [Obs.]

But sikerly, withouten any fable.

Chaucer.

{ Sick"er*ness, Sik"er*ness }, n. The quality or state of being sicker, or certain. [Obs.] Chaucer. Spenser.

Sick"ish, a. 1. Somewhat sick or diseased.

2. Somewhat sickening; as, a sickish taste.

-- Sick"ish*ly, adv. -- Sick"ish*ness, n.

Sic"kle (?), n. [OE. sikel, AS. sicol; akin to D. sikkel, G. sichel, OHG. sihhila, Dan. segel, segl, L. secula, fr. secare to cut; or perhaps from L. secula. See Saw a cutting instrument.] 1. A reaping instrument consisting of a steel blade curved into the form of a hook, and having a handle fitted on a tang. The sickle has one side of the blade notched, so as always to sharpen with a serrated edge. Cf. Reaping hook, under Reap.

When corn has once felt the sickle, it has no more benefit from the sunshine.

Shak.

2. (Astron.) A group of stars in the constellation Leo. See Illust. of Leo.

Sickle pod (Bot.), a kind of rock cress (Arabis Canadensis) having very long curved pods.

Sic"kle*bill` (?), n. (Zoöl.) (a) Any one of three species of humming birds of the genus Eutoxeres, native of Central and South America. They have a long and strongly curved bill. Called also the sickle-billed hummer. (b) A curlew. (c) A bird of the genus Epimachus and allied genera.

Sic"kled (?), a. Furnished with a sickle.

Sic"kle*man (?), n.; pl. Sicklemen (&?;). One who uses a sickle; a reaper.