silo

[ sahy-loh ]

/ ˈsaɪ loʊ /

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noun, plural si·los.

a structure, typically cylindrical, in which fodder or forage is kept: The dairy farm's two biggest buildings were the barn and the silo full of feed for the cows.

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.

a group, unit, enterprise, etc., that is isolated from others or functions independently, typically viewed as not deriving the benefits of interrelationships or collaboration: Fundraising department silos happen when different teams don't share their ideas and plans.

Also called data silo, information silo. Computers. an unintegrated data repository that cannot share its stored data with other systems, subsystems, or applications: When an organization deploys a stand-alone solution to improve operations, it risks creating a data silo that may present difficulties when trying to scale throughout the enterprise.

verb (used with object), si·loed, si·lo·ing.

to put into or preserve in a silo, as fodder, grain, or missiles.

to separate or isolate (a group, unit, enterprise, etc.) from others: We Americans are now more sheltered and siloed in our sources of news than ever before.

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Origin of silo

First recorded in 1825–35; from Spanish: “place for storing grain, hay, etc.,” originally, “subterranean”; further origin uncertain

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use silo in a sentence

It’s a big reason why we are stuck in this mess, and it’s why OZY strives to get you out of your silo each day to see more.
A Simple, Bold Idea: Reset America|Carlos Watson|January 18, 2021|Ozy
They’re both part of a public-private fire science working group called Pyregence that’s converting a grain silo into a furnace to see how large logs, like the fallen timber on Big Creek, spread fire.
What the complex math of fire modeling tells us about the future of California’s forests|Amy Nordrum|January 18, 2021|MIT Technology Review
Maybe because it wasn’t discovered until the 1970s, when bulldozers building grain silos unearthed the houses.
Your Guide for When Travel Returns|Daniel Malloy|December 27, 2020|Ozy
EU lawmakers have also expressed skepticism over initial concessions offered by Google which suggested storing Fitbit data in a silo that it said would be kept separate from other Google data.
Europe urged to block Google-Fitbit ahead of major digital policy overhaul|Natasha Lomas|December 11, 2020|TechCrunch

MuleSoft gave Salesforce access to something it didn’t have as an enterprise SaaS company — data locked in silos across the company, even in on-prem applications.
As Slack acquisition rumors swirl, a look at Salesforce’s six biggest deals|Ron Miller|November 30, 2020|TechCrunch

British Dictionary definitions for silo

silo

/ (ˈsaɪləʊ) /

noun plural -los

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

Word Origin for silo

C19: from Spanish, perhaps from Celtic

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

silo

Origin of silo

Words related to silo

How to use silo in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for silo

Word Origin for silo