quarry

¹

[kwawr-ee, kwor-ee]

noun

plural

quarries 

1. an excavation or pit, usually open to the air, from which building stone, slate, or the like, is obtained by cutting, blasting, etc.

2. an abundant source or supply.

verb (used with object)

quarried, quarrying 

1. to obtain (stone) from or as if from a quarry.

2. to make a quarry in.

quarry

²

[kwawr-ee, kwor-ee]

noun

plural

quarries 

1. an animal or bird hunted or pursued.

2. game, especially game hunted with hounds or hawks.

3. any object of search, pursuit, or attack.

quarry

³

[kwawr-ee, kwor-ee]

noun

plural

quarries 

1. a square stone or tile.

2. quarrel.

quarry

¹

/ ˈkwɒrɪ /

noun

1. an open surface excavation for the extraction of building stone, slate, marble, etc, by drilling, blasting, or cutting

2. a copious source of something, esp information

verb

1. to extract (stone, slate, etc) from or as if from a quarry

2. (tr) to excavate a quarry in

3. to obtain (something, esp information) diligently and laboriously

   he was quarrying away in the reference library

quarry

²

/ ˈkwɒrɪ /

noun

1. a square or diamond shape

2. something having this shape

3. another word for quarrel 2

quarry

³

/ ˈkwɒrɪ /

noun

1. an animal, bird, or fish that is hunted, esp by other animals; prey

2. anything pursued or hunted

Other Word Forms

• quarriable adjective
• quarryable adjective
• unquarried adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of quarry¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English noun quarrei, quarey, quar(r)i, from Medieval Latin quareia, quarrea, quareria, from Old French quarriere, from unrecorded Vulgar Latin quadrāria “place where stone is squared,” derivative of Latin quadrāre “to square”

Origin of quarry²

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English quirre, querre, quirrei “parts of a deer given to the hounds,” from Old French cuiree, cuiriee, curee “viscera, entrails” (probably influenced by cuir “leather, hide, skin”), from Latin corium “skin, hide, leather”), from Late Latin corāta (plural) “entrails,” from cor “heart”

Origin of quarry³

First recorded in 1535–45; noun use of obsolete adjective quarry “square,” from Old French quarre, from Latin quadrātus quadrate

Word History and Origins

Origin of quarry¹

C15: from Old French quarriere, from quarre (unattested) square-shaped stone, from Latin quadrāre to make square

Origin of quarry²

C16: from Old French quarré; see _quarrel ²

Origin of quarry³

C14 quirre entrails offered to the hounds, from Old French cuirée what is placed on the hide, from cuir hide, from Latin corium leather; probably also influenced by Old French coree entrails, from Latin cor heart

Example Sentences

The defeated agents run like they’re wearing concrete boots with skates on them as their quarry makes his escape.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Khalusha was the prime suspect in the murder of more than 40 women whose mutilated bodies were discovered in a disused quarry that became a dumpsite in the capital, Nairobi.

Read more on BBC

The contest is staged in a former slate quarry that was flooded by a tidal wave in 1881.

Read more on BBC

Instead of taking us inside ramshackle houses and down cold streets, we swim with Robbie and Maeve at the local quarry, their small piece of paradise, and walk through its woods.

Read more on Salon

Some of the rubbish will have to be dug up and removed because the disused quarry is not an appropriate place to store industrial waste.

Read more on BBC