silo English · revision 959

11 Oct 2026, 03:27 by bogdan “New entry from the dictionary sources (AHD, Barnhart, Etymonline, MW, OED, RHWU, Wiktionary)” current version
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+ ==Pronunciation==
+ * IPA: /ˈsaɪləʊ/ ''(UK)''; /ˈsaɪloʊ/ ''(US)''^(Wiktionary)
+ 
+ ==Etymology==
+ It is [[bor|es|silo|t=place for storing grain]],^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU) of uncertain further origin.^(RHWU) It is traditionally derived from [[la|sīrus]], [[der|grc|σιρός|tr=sirós|t=pit for storing grain]],^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline) 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”.^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)
+ 
+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==
+ A pit or underground chamber for storing grain or roots (1835).^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)
+ 
+ ==Semantic evolution==
+ The word at first usually referred to other countries and was explained when used.^(Etymonline) By 1867–81 it named an airtight chamber or tower in which green fodder is preserved as [[silage]].^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989)^(MW Collegiate) It was extended to a large bin for loose materials such as cement (1920)^(OED 1989) and to an underground structure from which a guided missile can be fired (1958).^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline) In modern business jargon a ''silo'' is a department or group that works in isolation from others.^(Wiktionary)
+ 
+ ==Timeline==
+ * 1835 – a storage pit.^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)
+ * 1881 – a chamber or tower for making silage.^(OED 1989)^(MW Collegiate)
+ * 1883 – verb, to store in a silo.^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)
+ * 1920 – a bin for loose materials.^(OED 1989)
+ * 1958 – an underground missile silo.^(OED 1989)
+ 
+ ==Modern meaning==
+ ===Noun===
+ # A tall cylindrical structure, usually beside a barn, in which [[fodder]] is stored; also, a pit dug for the same purpose.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)
+ # An underground structure for housing and launching a guided [[missile]].^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)
+ # A large bin for storing loose material such as coal or cement.^(MW Collegiate)^(OED 1989)
+ # A department or group that works in isolation from others.^(Wiktionary)
+ 
+ ===Verb===
+ # To store in a silo.^(AHD)^(RHWU)^(OED 1989)^(Wiktionary)
+ 
+ ==Related words==
+ * [[silage]]
+ * [[ensilage]]
+ * [[granary]]
+ 
+ ==References==
+ {{reflist}}