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
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
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Word Origin and History for siloing
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