Search this site:

Definition of abattoir

Reference


Word of the Day
exculpate
Definition: (verb) to free from blame or guilt.
Petersons.com
Add Word of the Day to your personalized My Yahoo! page:
Add to My Yahoo! View RSS Feed
About My Yahoo! and RSS »

  

ab·at·toir  audio  (b-twär) KEY  

NOUN:
  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).
ETYMOLOGY:
French, from abattre, to strike down, from Old French ; see abate


Visit our partner's site
Provided by Houghton Mifflin
logoeReference -- Download this interactive reference software to your desktop computer


Search Dictionary:

 More on Yahoo! Education
 • Online and On-Campus Degree Programs
    MBAs  -  Technology Management  -  Education  -  Health  -  More

 • College & Grad School - A Comprehensive Guide
    College Search  -  Test Prep  -  Application Tips  -  Scholarship Search
  
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition.
Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Other Important Information
-