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  abatement abattoir  
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   The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition.  2000.
 
abatis
 
SYLLABICATION:ab·a·tis
PRONUNCIATION:  b-t, -ts
NOUN:Inflected forms: pl. ab·a·tis (-tz) or ab·a·tis·es (-t-sz)
A defensive obstacle made by laying felled trees on top of each other with branches, sometimes sharpened, facing the enemy.
ETYMOLOGY:French, pile of things thrown down, from Old French abateis; akin to abattre, to throw down. See abate.
 
 
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.

CONTENTS · INDEX · ILLUSTRATIONS · BIBLIOGRAPHIC RECORD
  abatement abattoir  
 
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