A building where animals are killed and prepared for meat; a slaughterhouse.
From French abattoir, derived from abattre meaning 'to strike down' or 'to kill.' The root comes from Latin ad- (to) and battere (to beat). The word entered English in the early 19th century as a euphemistic term for slaughterhouses.
The word abattoir is French on purpose—English speakers borrowed it because calling a place by its French name made the uncomfortable reality of meat production sound more refined and less disturbing, which is a fascinating example of how language helps us distance ourselves from things we'd rather not think about.
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