Word
abattoir
Phoneticsabat·toir
US/ˌæbətˈwɑɹ/
UK/ˈæbɐtwˌɑː/
Definitions
01slaughterhouse
n. a building where animals are killed for their meat.
n. a facility where livestock are slaughtered for consumption as food.
“The cattle were transported to the local abattoir early in the morning.”
“Stringent hygiene regulations govern the operation of the modern abattoir to ensure meat safety and animal welfare standards are maintained.”
Formal · British English
Usage
Commonly used in British English and formal contexts; 'slaughterhouse' is the more frequent general term.
Teaching tip
While 'slaughterhouse' is the everyday term, 'abattoir' is preferred in technical, legal, or formal British contexts.
Synonyms
02place of carnage
n. a place where many people have been killed in a violent way.
n. a scene or event characterized by extreme violence, carnage, or mass death.
“The battlefield had become a bloody abattoir by the end of the day.”
“Historians described the narrow valley as a literal abattoir, where the trapped infantry had no hope of escape from the heavy artillery.”
Literary
Usage
Used figuratively to emphasize the scale of violence or death.
Real-World Examples
“Emily Thomas visits Tideford Abattoir, a slaughterhouse in the south of England to get an uncomfortably close up view of animals becoming food.” “Protesters have called for an abattoir to be shut down, after covert footage filmed by an activist showed treatment of sheep which slaughterhouse bosses described as "shocking and disturbing".” “CCTV has been compulsory in every abattoir in England, external in all areas where live animals are present since May 2018.” Etymology
Borrowed from French abattoir, from abattre (“to slaughter”) (cognate to abate) + -oir (“-ory”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/abattoir