Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
- n. A slaughterhouse.
- n. 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).
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English
- n. A public slaughterhouse for cattle, sheep, etc.
from The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. A public slaughter-house.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- n. a building where animals are butchered
Etymologies
Examples
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Ablative somehow reminds me of the word abattoir, which is more disgusting than evil.
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The abattoir is a community owned facility and we want this to be a part of our community for
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"The Killarney people are very disappointed because the opportunity to pick up work in town is very limited, the abattoir is the biggest employer in town," he said.
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Acknowledging the support of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community, Cokanasiga said the services of Dr. Ilagi Puana is quite valuable and has filled one the crucial point of meat preparation at the abattoir which is meat inspection.
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The issue of the abattoir was the straw that broke the camel's back, "he told reporters at DAP headquarters here today.
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"Fuck," said Svart Annika afterward, "It looks like an abattoir in here."
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In the meanwhile Orinoco—her nails long since cleansed underneath but now painted in the darkest black cherry possible—had exercised the good sense to rely on thin even coats of sweet-scent morticians' wax to impart a semblance of freshness, pots of heavy black coffee each night to abate her abattoir breath, and incessant cigarettes to keep her lips warm.
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She said that to appreciate Beauty you have to find it in the ugly, like a puppy running into traffic, ash from an abattoir sifted on the trees, a flower under a tractor wheel or an abandoned pram among other junk by the tracks.
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Recently shorn, these offspring of mules crossed with Suffolk and Texel rams will replace ewes too old for breeding and destined for the abattoir.
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So I come home one day from the abattoir and my second wife is sitting on the couch wearing nothing but a pentagram necklace and stripper shoes.
5814738 commented on the word abattoir
"And in between the news bulletins and the announcements, squalling military music and exhortations to respect the fallen by sending more men and women into the red throat of the abattoir." From The Wastelands by Stephen King.
January 9, 2011
pclively commented on the word abattoir
Fr. abattre "to beat down" (cf. abate)
January 10, 2009
mikepurvis commented on the word abattoir
Film critic Paul Arendt described Kill Bill Vol. 1 as "a barely watchable mess, a tangled montage of fashion gloss streaked in gore, a cocktail party in an abattoir."
What an image.
June 9, 2008
bilby commented on the word abattoir
We REALLY need some Nick Cave lists. I nominate Kalli.
December 9, 2007
kalli commented on the word abattoir
"I've got the abattoir blues." - Nick Cave
December 9, 2007
rolig commented on the word abattoir
Perhaps because it contains the shriek of "schrei".
December 6, 2007
bilby commented on the word abattoir
Good point. I don't think German fleischerei (butcher) hides anything, you can just about hear flesh being ripped apart.
December 6, 2007
rolig commented on the word abattoir
The French word hides the grisliness of the slaughterhouse.
December 6, 2007
kewpid commented on the word abattoir
I can never remember how to spell this.
December 6, 2007
slumry commented on the word abattoir
One of those words that, to me, just does not sound like what it is--happily!
July 11, 2007
brtom commented on the word abattoir
"For the enlightenment of those who are not so intimately acquainted with the minutiae of the municipal abattoir ..."
Joyce, Ulysses, 14
January 22, 2007
karnage commented on the word abattoir
I once lived in an old abattoir in Chicago. there were meathooks attached to the wood ceiling beams.
December 5, 2006
marco_nj commented on the word abattoir
The ox was slaughtered in the abattoir.
December 3, 2006