silo

Where does the word "silo" come from? It comes from Greek siros, passing through Latin and Spanish before entering English (1830s).

Silo’s story begins in Greek: siros meant “grain pit.” A pit for storing grain. By ancient, the word had taken hold in Latin as sirus. An underground grain store. From there it passed into Spanish as silo by medieval. An underground grain store, common in Spain. It reached English by 1830s as silo. Tower silos spread on American farms in the 1880s; missile silos date from the 1950s. Today, silo means a tower or pit for storing grain or silage.

1. Stage 1 · Greek · ancient siros "grain pit", a pit for storing grain.
2. Stage 2 · Latin · ancient sirus "grain pit", an underground grain store.
3. Stage 3 · Spanish · medieval silo "grain pit", an underground grain store, common in Spain.
4. Stage 4 · English · 1830s silo "storage tower", tower silos spread on American farms in the 1880s; missile silos date from the 1950s.