abattoir

noun

ab·​at·​toir ˈa-bə-ˌtwär How to pronounce abattoir (audio)
-ˌtwȯr,
-ˌtȯr
plural abattoirs
: a place where animals are butchered : slaughterhouse
Mr. Foley worked previously at a pig abattoir and reckoned he was beyond such queasiness.Tony Horwitz
Bulls are precious, a good one fetching $400 or more at the abattoirPeter Meredith

Examples of abattoir in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Supporting the farmer, as opposed to an abattoir, is of particular interest to co-founder Sara Grady. Alexandra Harrell, Sourcing Journal, 3 Sep. 2019 Parts of pig brains were revitalised after being retrieved from an abattoir. Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week Uk, theweek, 4 Oct. 2024 Trump is still sitting on a paper holding worth more than $2 billion, but his outside investors, many of whom are small investors who bought at or near the top, have been been taken to the abattoir. Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2024 Today’s slaughter seems even more out of place in the sprawling cities of a predominantly urban country, where the clean concrete floors of car washes turned impromptu abattoirs set the bloodshed in even starker relief. Nick Danforth, Foreign Affairs, 4 Oct. 2014 See all Example Sentences for abattoir 

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French, from stem of abattre "to strike down, slaughter" + -oir -ory entry 1 — more at abate

First Known Use

1809, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of abattoir was in 1809

Dictionary Entries Near abattoir

Cite this Entry

“Abattoir.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/abattoir. Accessed 14 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

abattoir

noun
ab·​at·​toir ˈab-ə-ˌtwär How to pronounce abattoir (audio)

More from Merriam-Webster on abattoir

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