An excellent topic, and one familiar to most collectors of swords, but seldom ever pursued beyond the aging assumptions about these distinctive arc designs. It seems that these originated probably in North Italy and were most likely some sort of guild device rather than makers mark. While the arcs are typically paired in opposed position, often dentated and often with triple dots at end of each arc in the most familiar arrangement, there seem to be a wide range of variations.
These marks were often thought to be Genoan, possibly because of that city name with the marks in many cases on early blades. Whatever the case the marks soon became duplicated in Styrian and German centers, where they were used in conjunction with numerous other marks and sometimes terms or names.
As these marks became used in these centers, the trade blades exported by them often carried these marks in the most familiar configuration, and by implication of course suggested imbued quality and power in the blades bearing them. These were the blades which often became duplicated on native made blades in the various cultural spheres entered such as the Caucusus, India, Asia and North Africa.
As noted, in the Caucusus blades bearing these type marks became known as 'gurda', denoting the character of the blade, not the marking itself. As far as has been determined and to my knowledge, the exact meaning of the term is unclear but essentially means 'good blade' or to that effect. There are other terms used in these regions for blades with other markings, but those also remain unclear in etymology.
In India, where these so called 'sickle marks' occurred often on trade blades used by the Mahrattas, later others, the general and oft used term 'firangi' is applied, again to the blade, not the marking.
In North Africa there are some descriptive terms used for various markings from Europe on trade blades transliterated into native perception and parlance, however I am not familiar with any particular term for these dentated arc markings. Again, there are cases where a particular type of blade is designated with a term of classification, but only a few cases where marks are specifically termed.
As we have discovered over the years here, there are many instances of terms for various weapon forms being conflicting, much of this due to semantics, transliteration and other misconstrued application. I think if there were terms used for a mark as widely known as the 'sickle' mark (with other terms used even in European references) in other cultures, it would be difficult to specifically identify. This is compounded by the fact that like other imported markings, these were simply implied imbuements regarded the blade itself, and the marking not specifically interpreted.
In most reading I have done on classification of blades, particularly in Islamic instances, swords are named or classified according to places where the blade is from, maker, or even where the steel is from as well as the characteristics of the blade. In Solingen while the names on blades are well known, it seems that there were classifications where renowned names of makers became a kind of trademark blade type for specific markets.
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