Definition

1. Verb:
   • To store and preserve (green fodder) in a silo: The primary meaning refers to the agricultural practice of placing fresh forage crops into a silo or other airtight structure to undergo controlled fermentation, which preserves the feed for later use as animal fodder.

Usage

• The verb "ensile" is a transitive verb, meaning it requires a direct object (the material being stored).
• It is a technical term used primarily in agriculture and animal husbandry.
• The process of ensiling is called "ensilage."

Examples

• Verb:
  • The farmers will ensile the freshly cut corn to feed their cattle during the winter.
  • Properly ensiled grass retains more nutrients than dried hay.

Advanced Usage

• "to be ensiled": The passive voice is commonly used to describe the state of the fodder.
  • The alfalfa was ensiled at the perfect moisture level.

Variants and Related Words

• Ensilage (n): The process of ensiling; also the product (the preserved fodder) itself.
  • The quality of the ensilage depends on the sugar content of the crop.
• Silo (n): The tall, airtight structure used for ensiling fodder.

Synonyms

• Silage (as a verb, though rare): More commonly used as a noun for the ensiled product. "To silage" is a less frequent synonym for "to ensile."
• Store (in a silo): A more general descriptive phrase.

Word Family

• This word is derived from the French , which comes from (silo).

Verb

1. store in a silo
   • ensile fodder for the cows