shambles
- noun
- /ˈʃæmbəlz/
- Archaic
:
matadero
- During medieval times, the Shambles served as a bustling area where livestock was brought for butchering.
Examples
-
So we went there and found the remains of two bodies when they were cutting the shambles, when they found the remains, the bits of remains.
-
The Shambles in York was famous for its many butcher shops that sold fresh meat.
-
Visitors to the market often marveled at the butchers working in the Shambles, preparing meat for sale.
Synonyms
47
3.2
A place where animals are killed and prepared to be eaten
7
8.8
A building where animals are killed for meat
2
4.7
A shop where animals are killed and meat is prepared and sold
1
9.9
A business that kills and prepares old or dead animals for products like bones and hides
Surface Forms
Etymology
Shambles originally meant a place where butchers worked. It comes from the old English scamel 'stool' or 'bench' used by butchers, so a shambles was literally the market area for slaughter and meat preparation.