abattement (-mān), n.m., faintness, low state, weakness, prostration; dejection, despondency, low spirits; (her.) abatement. Tomber dans l’—; to become low-spirited. Jeter dans l’—; to deject. Qui jette dans l’—; depressive.
abatteur, n.m., feller, knocker-off, slaughterer. C’est un grand — de bois; he is a great braggart.
abattis, n.m., houses, walls, trees, thrown down; the killing of game; giblets (of poultry); garbage; stones hewn down in a quarry; raw hides; slaughter, destruction. Abattis en ragoût; stewed giblets.
abattoir, n.m., slaughter-house.
abattre, v.a., to throw down, to hurl down; to pull down; to beat, to batter down; to bring down; to fell, to cut down, to hew down, to cut off; to knock down; to blow down; to lay (the dust); to let down; to soak (skins); to couch (the cataract); to waste (strength); to dispirit; to dishearten; to unman; to cast down, to depress; to humble. Le vent abattra le blé; the wind will throw the corn down. — un rideau; to let a curtain down. — les cuirs; to skin dead animals. — le pantalon; to remove the trousers. — les peaux; to soak the skins. — un vaisseau pour le caréner; to careen a ship. Un vaisseau dur à —; a ship hard to swing round. — un mât (nav.); to carry away a mast. La moindre chose l’abat; the least thing unmans him. Elle a l’air bien abattu; she looks very dejected. — l’orgueil de quelqu’un; to humble any one’s pride.
abattre, v.n., to lay down one’s cards (at play); (nav.) to fall off to leeward, to cast. Le vaisseau s’abat; the ship is driving to leeward.
s’abattre, v.r., to fall, to tumble down; to stoop; to abate; to be cast down, dejected; to break down (of horses); to burst (of a storm); to despond; to pounce upon. Le vent s’abat; the wind is falling. La chaleur s’abat; the heat is abating. Un orage terrible va s’abattre sur nous; a dreadful storm is about to burst upon us.
abattu, -e, adj., pulled, broken, cast down; depressed, dejected; humbled, crest-fallen. Je me sens tout —; I am quite out of spirits. Un visage —; a woe-begone countenance.
abattures, n.f.pl., (hunt.) abature; foiling (of a stag).
abat-vent, n.m., penthouse (of a steeple); pentice, wind-screen, louvre window.