Knackery

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A facility where old, sick, or injured horses and other livestock are slaughtered for their hides, meat, and other byproducts
2. A location where unfit or deceased animals are processed, usually for the extraction of their meat, hides, and other valuable products
3. A place dedicated to the processing and rendering of livestock, typically involving the slaughter of animals for their meat, hides, and other byproducts

Etymology: A knacker was originally a dealer who bought worn-out horses, slaughtered them, and sold the usable parts. A knackery is the yard where that work took place. The term later widened to cover the processing of any livestock that had reached the end of its useful life. The ending "-ery" is the same one found in "bakery" or "brewery," marking a place where something is done. The origin of "knacker" itself is uncertain. It has been linked to the dialect word "knack," which can mean a sharp snap or crack, an image that suits the work of breaking up carcasses. That connection is proposed rather than proven, and no firm earlier source has been identified for the trade name.

Synonyms: skill, talent