quarry

[kwawr-ee, kwor-ee]

noun, plural quar·ries.

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

an abundant source or supply.

verb (used with object), quar·ried, quar·ry·ing.

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

to make a quarry in.

Origin of quarry

1375–1425; Middle English quarey (noun) < Medieval Latin quareia, variant of quareria < Old French quarriere < Vulgar Latin *quadrāria place where stone is squared, derivative of Latin quadrāre to square

Related formsquar·ri·a·ble, quar·ry·a·ble, adjectiveun·quar·ried, adjective

Can be confusedquarry query

quarry

[kwawr-ee, kwor-ee]

noun, plural quar·ries.

an animal or bird hunted or pursued.

game, especially game hunted with hounds or hawks.

any object of search, pursuit, or attack.

Origin of quarry

1275–1325; Middle English querre < Old French cuiree, derivative of cuir skin, hide < Latin corium

quarry

[kwawr-ee, kwor-ee]

noun, plural quar·ries.

a square stone or tile.

quarrel²(def 2).

Origin of quarry

1545–55; noun use of obsolete quarry (adj.) square < Old French quarre < Latin quadrātus quadrate

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for quarries

prize, aim, game, quest, prey, victim, objective, chase, ravin

Examples from the Web for quarries

Contemporary Examples of quarries

The subjects of his work range from mines, quarries, and shipping around the world to manufacturing and urban renewal in China.
The Secret World of Oil
Philip Gefter
October 2, 2009

Historical Examples of quarries

Jean, who was beginning to recover his self-possession, proposed the quarries.
The Downfall
Emile Zola
I thought so, too; but it might be a blast, for we are not far from the quarries.
The Martins Of Cro' Martin, Vol. I (of II)
Charles James Lever
He's a contractor himself, who furnishes labor for the quarries.
Sonnie-Boy's People
James B. Connolly
Some say I ought to have built it across the river, where the quarries are.
A Book of Burlesques
H. L. Mencken
The stone in quarries is found to be of different and unlike qualities.
Ten Books on Architecture
Vitruvius

British Dictionary definitions for quarries

quarry

noun plural -ries

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

a copious source of something, esp information

verb -ries, -rying or -ried

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

(tr) to excavate a quarry in

to obtain (something, esp information) diligently and laboriouslyhe was quarrying away in the reference library

Word Origin for quarry

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

quarry

noun plural -ries

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

anything pursued or hunted

Word Origin for quarry

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

quarry

noun plural -ries

a square or diamond shape

something having this shape

another word for quarrel 2

Word Origin for quarry

C16: from Old French quarré; see quarrel ²

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for quarries

quarry

n.1

"what is hunted," early 14c., quirre "entrails of deer placed on the hide and given to dogs of the chase as a reward," from Anglo-French quirreie, Old French cuiriee "the spoil, quarry" (Modern French curée), altered (by influence of Old French cuir "skin," from Latin corium "hide"), from Old French corée "viscera, entrails," from Vulgar Latin *corata "entrails," from Latin cor "heart" (see heart). Sense of "anything chased in hunt" is first recorded 1610s; earlier "bird targeted by a hawk or other raptor" (late 15c.).

quarry

n.2

"open place where rocks are excavated," c.1400 (mid-13c. as a place name), from Medieval Latin quareia, dissimilated from quarreria (mid-13c.), literally "place where stones are squared," from Latin quadrare "to square" (see quadrant).

quarry

1774, from quarry (n.2). Related: Quarried; quarrying.