Illustrated Companion to the Latin Dictionary/Falcastrum

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Rich, Anthony (1849). The illustrated companion to the Latin dictionary, and Greek lexicon. p. vi. OCLC 894670115. https://archive.org/details/illustratedcompa00rich. 

FALCAS'TRUM. An instrument employed in husbandry for clearing away any thick overgrowth of weeds and bushes; consisting of the blade of a sickle (falx) affixed to a long straight handle (Isidor. Orig. xx. 14. 5.), similar to what is still used for the same object amongst ourselves. It was probably only a provincial term in use amongst the labouring population; for educated people and the agricultural writers used RUNCO.