abattoir
a slaughterhouse
Root
- batt / batter: beat, strike, or knock down
Other words with the batt / batter root
Abattoir keeps the harsh abattre history: a place where animals are struck down.
The old abattoir at the edge of town had been converted into a market hall.
Abattoir is grim, but the structure helps. It preserves the same French beat-down history as abate: abattre could mean to strike down or slaughter. The word carries the blow inside it.