silo

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈsaɪləʊ/ (UK); /ˈsaɪloʊ/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Spanish silo (“place for storing grain”),^{[2][3][4][5][6]} of uncertain further origin.^[6] It is traditionally derived from Latin sīrus, from Ancient Greek σιρός (sirós, “pit for storing grain”),^[3][4] but Barnhart objects that the change from r to l is abnormal in Spanish and suggests a pre-Roman source related to Basque zilo “dugout, cave for storing grain”.^[3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

A pit or underground chamber for storing grain or roots (1835).^[7][3][4]

Semantic evolution

The word at first usually referred to other countries and was explained when used.^[4] By 1867–81 it named an airtight chamber or tower in which green fodder is preserved as silage.^[4][7][5] It was extended to a large bin for loose materials such as cement (1920)^[7] and to an underground structure from which a guided missile can be fired (1958).^[7][4] In modern business jargon a silo is a department or group that works in isolation from others.^[1]

Timeline

• 1835 – a storage pit.^[7][3][4]
• 1881 – a chamber or tower for making silage.^[7][5]
• 1883 – verb, to store in a silo.^[7][3]
• 1920 – a bin for loose materials.^[7]
• 1958 – an underground missile silo.^[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A tall cylindrical structure, usually beside a barn, in which fodder is stored; also, a pit dug for the same purpose.
2. An underground structure for housing and launching a guided missile.
3. A large bin for storing loose material such as coal or cement.
4. A department or group that works in isolation from others.

Verb

1. To store in a silo.

Related words

• silage
• ensilage
• granary

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
4. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
7. ^ a b c d e f g h i Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press