abattoir
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of abattoir
1810–20; < French, equivalent to abatt ( re ) to slaughter ( see abate) + -oir -ory 2
Explanation
An abattoir is a slaughterhouse, or a place where animals are killed. It's not a word you're likely to hear or use unless you're involved in these activities. However, break abattoir into its component parts, abate + -ory, and things get a lot more interesting. -Ory is simple: it means "a place for," as in factory, laboratory, and even auditorium. Abate is more complex. Today it means "to lessen," but back when it came to English via the Old French abattre, it meant "to beat down," a meaning Old French had inherited from the Latin ad ("to") + battere ("beat"). So when you think of abattoir, you can think of the idea of "a beating," or an animal's life "abating" until it is gone.
Vocabulary lists containing abattoir
"The Briefcase," Vocabulary from the short story
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Kaffir Boy
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Sapiens
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Soutine’s idea was to return to the abattoir for a bucket of blood and toss it over the carcass, restoring its original hue.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 5, 2025
And perhaps, not totally inexplicable behaviour for a man who'd once served an apprenticeship at an abattoir.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2025
The curriculum encourages students to find their own venues in and around Kumasi, be that an abattoir or an auto repair shop, so that their art becomes part of the city.
From New York Times ● Feb. 5, 2024
In addition to raising the animal, 700 liters to 1,000 liters of water is used per animal in the abattoir for washing and hygiene.
From Salon ● Jun. 27, 2023
And then there was the blood from “Mr. Green,” the local abattoir on First Avenue.
From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
