abattoir
/a.ba.twaʁ/
The English phrase 'slaughter house' is translated into French as abattoir.
The term refers to a place where animals are killed for food.
How does it change in a sentence?
To form the plural, add an 's' to the end of the word: abattoirs. Because the word begins with a vowel, the masculine definite article le elides to l’ before the word, appearing as l'abattoir for 'the slaughterhouse'.
How do you pronounce it?
/a.ba.twaʁ/
Did you know?
- If you are feeling completely devastated by bad news, you might say you have been abattue, using a verb related to the same root as abattoir.
- The suffix -oir in abattoir is a productive pattern in French used to create nouns for places or tools, such as the observatoire for 'observatory'.
- The English word 'abattoir' is a direct loanword from the French abattoir and is typically used in English to sound more clinical than 'slaughterhouse'.
Examples in context
- Dans cette région, ils ont construit un nouvel abattoir pour répondre à la demande croissante de viande.In this region, they have built a new slaughterhouse to meet the increasing demand for meat.
- Les autorités ont fermé plusieurs abattoirs clandestins qui ne respectaient pas les normes de salubrité.The authorities have closed down several underground slaughterhouses that did not comply with hygiene standards.
- J'ai commencé à travailler à l'abattoir la semaine dernière.I started working at the slaughterhouse last week.
- L'abattoir se trouve en périphérie de la ville.The slaughterhouse is located on the outskirts of the city.
- Il travaille dans un abattoir près de chez lui.He works in a slaughterhouse near his house.
- Les camions vont directement à l'abattoir.The trucks go directly to the slaughterhouse.
Example conversation
Manon and Gabriel are looking at a map of the industrial zone.
- ManonOù se trouve l'abattoir sur ce plan ?Where is the slaughter house on this map?
- GabrielC'est le grand bâtiment gris, là-bas.It is the big grey building over there.
- ManonEst-ce que c'est loin d'ici, Gabriel ?Is it far from here, Gabriel?
- GabrielNon, nous pouvons y aller à pied.No, we can go there on foot.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry abattoir, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
