Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Fodder prepared by compressing and fermenting green forage crops under anaerobic conditions, usually in a silo.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun Feed for cattle prepared by treatment in a silo; ensilage.
  • To make silage of; treat in a silo.
  • noun The practice of ensiling has in recent times been greatly extended, with much change of method, at least in America. For the structures employed, see silo. The largest use of silage is on dairy farms, Indian corn being in the United States by far the most important material. Success in making silage lies in thoroughly excluding the air. Close packing is required and coarse material, such as Indian corn, should be cut up fine. The top of the mass is not now weighted. Slow filling is found to be better than rapid filling, since it gives time for settling and permits a temporary heating which expels all the air not consumed by the live tissues. This initial heating, formerly ascribed to fermentation, is now believed to be due to respiratory processes. See the phrases below.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • Short for ensilage.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun Fermented green forage fodder stored in a silo.
  • verb To ensilage.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun fodder harvested while green and kept succulent by partial fermentation as in a silo

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Short for ensilage.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Alteration (probably by influence of silo) of ensilage (1881), itself from French ensilage, from ensiler ("put in a silo"), from Spanish ensilar.

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word silage.

Examples

  • I wish the silage was a little more potent but it lasts fairly well although it stays close to the skin.

    Archive 2007-05-01 Marina Geigert 2007

  • He had to remind Bess to call the silage man to finish cutting the cornfields.

    One Of The Family Floyd, Susan 2000

  • The simple fact that villagers were so anxious to use the silage is a strong enough indication of the potential role the silage technique can plays Once again the importance of technical surveillance and contact is a key factor in getting the villagers to realize what can be achieved through their own efforts.

    Chapter 10 1976

  • Some of the zones had previous exposure to the idea of silage through an extension effort made ten years earlier.

    Chapter 10 1976

  • Is "silage" a positive adjective when describing a beer's aroma?

    Madison Beer Review Presents Beer Talk Today 2009

  • Is "silage" a positive adjective when describing a beer's aroma?

    Archive 2009-01-01 2009

  • Molds must have air to grow, and therefore silage which is packed air-tight and fed out rapidly will not become moldy.

    Special Report on Diseases of the Horse Charles B. Michener 1877

  • Further work proved dry cows can graze kale without requiring any fibre supplement such as silage or straw.

    FWi - All News 2009

  • Their configuration altered as she walked on, and other features disclosed themselves in the moving landscape: a church tower and a silage tower in the distance, a yellow combine harvester far off at a field's edge, a shed, a sewage outfall.

    Margaret Drabble | Trespassing 2011

  • The sweet smell of silage and manure remind him he's home, a dog howls across the valley and is answered with a bark.

    Polly Samson | The Man Who Fell 2011

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.