abattoir

noun

ab·​at·​toir ˈa-bə-ˌtwär 

-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 abattoir …

—Peter Meredith

Examples of abattoir in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The meat comes directly from British abattoirs; thelangoustines are bought from a boat in Oban, Scotland, and the scallops are from fisheries in Devon, England, and Scotland. —Hikmat Mohammed, WWD, 10 Dec. 2024

Blasting away with its fast-firing 25-millimeter autocannon, the Bradley turned the kill zone into an abattoir. —David Axe, Forbes, 10 Dec. 2024

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

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

Kids Definition

abattoir

noun

ab·​at·​toir ˈab-ə-ˌtwär 

: slaughterhouse