silo
[sahy-loh]
- a structure, typically cylindrical, in which fodder or forage is kept.
- a pit or underground space for storing grain, green feeds, etc.
- Military. an underground installation constructed of concrete and steel, designed to house a ballistic missile and the equipment for firing it.
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- to put into or preserve in a silo.
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Origin of silo
1825–35; < Spanish: place for storing grain, hay, etc., orig. subterranean; ulterior origin uncertain
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words
cellargranarystorehousesilowarehousedepotsafearsenalmagazinedepositoryvaultarchivestockroomrepositoryarmorybarncacherepertorystoreExamples from the Web for silo
Contemporary Examples
There appear to be two crosses atop this overall structure, one on the main house and a larger one on the silo.
Historical Examples
"It's lucky harvest will be over; silo filling, too," was his only comment.
DustMr. and Mrs. Haldeman-Julius
If he does not have a silo, some other food can be used in place of the ensilage.
Agriculture for BeginnersCharles William Burkett
Like as not they will be wanting to take me to Hastings because I have built a silo; and then I may take you with me.
O Pioneers!Willa Cather
When used for mixing with corn in a silo, the self-binder is satisfactory.
Best methods of building the silo, filling it and feeding ensilage.
Your PlantsJames Sheehan
silo
- a pit, trench, horizontal container, or tower, often cylindrical in shape, in which silage is made and stored
- a strengthened underground position in which missile systems are sited for protection against attack
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Word Origin
C19: from Spanish, perhaps from Celtic
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for silo
n.
1835, from Spanish silo, traditionally derived from Latin sirum (nominative sirus), from Greek siros "a pit to keep corn in." "The change from r to l in Spanish is abnormal and Greek siros was a rare foreign term peculiar to regions of Asia Minor and not likely to emerge in Castilian Spain" [Barnhart]. Alternatively, the Spanish word is from a pre-Roman Iberian language word represented by Basque zilo, zulo "dugout, cave or shelter for keeping grain." Meaning "underground housing and launch tube for a guided missile" is attested from 1958.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper