quarry

¹

[ kwawr-ee, kwor-ee ]

noun

, plural quar·ries.

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)

, quar·ried, quar·ry·ing.

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 quar·ries.

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 quar·ries.

1. a square stone or tile.
2. quarrel ²( def 2 ).

quarry

¹

/ ˈkwɒrɪ /

noun

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

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 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

Other Words From

• quarri·a·ble quarry·a·ble adjective
• un·quarried 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

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

Origin of quarry²

C16: from Old French quarré; see quarrel ²

Origin of quarry³

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

Example Sentences

“There were a lot of farmworkers’ houses and people who worked at the quarry,” she said.

From Washington Post

Our sights are set far smaller—bluegills, crappie, and perch, the perfect first quarry for a beginner.

From Popular-Science

Photos from 1992 and 2001 document pieces in which the Scotland-based artist froze rocks to a quarry face and laced a stone wall with large icicles.

From Washington Post

Like a rock quarry or a cable television provider, regional casinos are inherently good businesses.

From Fortune

You’ll find waterfalls and dinosaur tracks near this RV-friendly site, which is perched on the edge of a former quarry, a national historic landmark that’s now a lake.

From Outside Online

Castle Black is built into an old quarry about 45 minutes north of Belfast.

From The Daily Beast

We shot it in an abandoned quarry just outside of Split in Croatia.

From The Daily Beast

He says the way we do this is similar to a bird of prey assessing its quarry, swooping in.

From The Daily Beast

The sexually voracious alpha-female who seduces and then consumes her quarry?

From The Daily Beast

As rocks tumbled from the quarry wall above, the need for capped helmets became clear.

From The Daily Beast

Here is a gold-mine for the makers of boys' books of all future generations to quarry in.

From Project Gutenberg

Now it happened that these steps of the dwarfs adjoined a deserted stone quarry less than a mile from the castle of Clarides.

From Project Gutenberg

No man who ever was in a quarry or gravel pit will say so, much less one who has the least smattering of chemistry or geology.

From Project Gutenberg

Nor can one who in pumping out his quarry frees another quarry from water recover anything for the service.

From Project Gutenberg

On one occasion (we are not told the date or place) the hunter nearly became a prey to his quarry.

From Project Gutenberg