abat-sons
noun
ˌäˌbäˈsōⁿ,
French ȧbȧsōⁿ
plural abat-sons
-ōⁿz,
French -ōⁿ
: a device for throwing sound downward (such as louver boards in a belfry)
Word History
Etymology
borrowed from French, literally, "(it) strikes down (abat) the sounds (sons)," from abattre "to strike down," + sons, plural of son "sound," going back to Old French
First Known Use
circa 1879, in the meaning defined above