Plural of butchery; multiple meat shops, slaughterhouses, or acts of brutal killing.
From 'butchery' (a shop where meat is sold, or the trade of butchering) plus the regular plural suffix '-ies'. Butchery comes from 'butcher' plus Old French '-erie' (a place or practice).
The word 'butchery' can mean two completely opposite things: a legitimate meat shop, or a horrific mass slaughter. This double meaning shows how the same word can drift between neutral and deeply negative connotations.
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