Other forms: abattoirs
An abattoir is a building where animals are killed for meat. Sent to the abattoir, an abattoir worker, licensed abattoir.
It is the French word and is used in Britain where America says slaughterhouse, and the borrowing is not accidental: a French word sounds less like what happens there. The work is highly regulated and among the hardest jobs there is on the people who do it.
1nounabattoirA building where animals are killed for meat.
“The cattle were taken by lorry to the abattoir early in the morning.”
abattoir is a building.
Also accepted in games: slaughterhouse
French abattoir comes from abattre, to fell or strike down. Abate is a relative.
Proto-Indo-European
*bʰedʰ-
French
abattoir
English, today
abattoir
Built from
French abattoir, from abattre (“to slaughter”) (cognate to abate) + -oir (“-ory”).
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA