3 results for: Abattoirs

American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
ab·at·toir    Audio Help   (āb'ə-twär')  Pronunciation Key 
n.  
  1. A slaughterhouse.
  2. Something likened to a slaughterhouse: "The hand of God and mankind's self-inflicted blows seem equally heavy ... giving a strong cumulative impression of the world as an abattoir" (Manchester Guardian Weekly).


[French, from abattre, to strike down, from Old French; see abate.]

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Abattoirs

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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Abattoirs

A`bat`toir"\ ([.a]`b[.a]t`tw[aum]r"), n.; pl. Abattoirs (-tw[aum]rz"). [F., fr. abattre to beat down. See Abate.] A public slaughterhouse for cattle, sheep, etc.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.

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