ensilage

ensilage — noun

1. a method of keeping fresh green plants so that they become feed for farm animals

1.nounC1
Definition

a method of keeping fresh green plants so that they become feed for farm animals, done by storing the plants in a silo where they slowly ferment

Example

The agricultural college offers a short course on ensilage for new dairy farmers.

uncountable noun — names the farming technique

Ife learned ensilage from her grandfather, who used a tower silo on his farm.

Common collocations
  • ensilage method
  • ensilage process
  • ensilage technique
  • ensilage equipment
Synonyms
  • ensiling

    refers to the same act of storing; 'ensiling' emphasises the action more than the technique

Usage Note

Uncountable; refers to the farming technique as a whole rather than a single instance of preserving fodder.

Common Mistakes

They practiced an ensilage last autumn.
They practiced ensilage last autumn.
The process is uncountable and takes no article.
Ensilage are common in this area.
Ensilage is common in this area.
As an uncountable noun, it takes a singular verb.

2. green plant material that has been cut and stored in a silo so that it partly fe

2.nounC1
Definition

green plant material that has been cut and stored in a silo so that it partly ferments, used as food for cattle, sheep, and other farm animals

Example

The dairy cows were fed a mix of fresh hay and ensilage from the silo.

often interchangeable with 'silage' in farming contexts

Greta checked the ensilage temperature each morning to make sure it had not spoiled.

Common collocations
  • corn ensilage
  • grass ensilage
  • fresh ensilage
  • ensilage bale
  • ton of ensilage
Synonyms
  • silage

    the most common term for fermented fodder; 'ensilage' is slightly more technical and less frequent in everyday farm talk

Usage Note

Uncountable; often used interchangeably with 'silage', though 'ensilage' can refer specifically to the material stored by the ensiling method.

Common Mistakes

The sheep ate two ensilages.
The sheep ate two bales of ensilage.
The product is uncountable; use a measure word for quantities.
We need more ensilage for feed them.
We need more ensilage to feed them.
'Ensilage' is a noun, not part of a verb phrase.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/2

'Ensilage' and 'silage' are near-synonyms for fermented fodder stored in a silo, but 'silage' is the everyday term on farms and in agricultural markets, while 'ensilage' is more technical and appears chiefly in textbooks and academic papers. 'Hay' is dried grass or legumes used as animal feed — the key difference is the preservation method: hay is dried in the field, whereas ensilage/silage is fermented while still moist. 'Fodder' is the broadest term of the three, covering any food given to farm animals, including hay, silage, grains, and processed feed. For example, a farmer might say 'I need more fodder for winter' (anything goes), but when placing a specific order they would ask for 'silage' or 'hay'. 'Ensilage' in that same situation would sound unusual — you would say 'silage' instead.

silage ↗hay ↗fodder ↗

Etymology

GreekLatinSpanishFrenchEnglish

'Ensilage' entered English in the late 1800s from French 'ensilage', which comes from 'ensiler' meaning 'to put into a silo'. The French word was borrowed from Spanish 'ensilar', built from 'en-' (in) and 'silo' (a pit or underground storage chamber). The word 'silo' itself traces back through Latin 'sīrus' to Greek 'siros', which meant a pit for storing grain. The technique of fermenting green fodder in sealed pits was first modernised in France during the 19th century, which is why the English term took its French form.

First known use

1876

1876, in the meaning defined at sense 1