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quarry

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The definition of a quarry is a place, often a deep hole in the ground, from where stones are extracted.

(noun)

An example of a quarry is a deep hole from where granite is mined.

To quarry is to extract stone or other materials from an area where they are located, such as a deep hole in the ground.

(verb)

An example of quarry is when you do the action of getting granite slabs from a deep hole in the ground.

See quarry in Webster's New World College Dictionary

noun pl. quarries

a square or diamond-shaped piece of glass, tile, etc.

Origin: var. of quarrel

noun pl. quarries

an animal that is being hunted down, esp. with dogs or hawks; prey
anything being hunted or pursued

Origin: ME querre, orig., parts of the prey put on the hide and fed to dogs < OFr cuiree, altered (infl. by cuir, a hide) < ML *corata, viscera < L cor, heart

noun pl. quarries

a place where building stone, marble, or slate is excavated, as by cutting or blasting

Origin: ME quarey < ML quarreia, contr. of quarreria, quadraria, lit., place where stones are squared < L quadrare, to square: see quadrate

transitive verb quarried, quarrying

to excavate from a quarry
to make a quarry in (land)

See quarry in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun pl. quar·ries

a. A hunted animal; prey.
b. Hunted animals considered as a group; game.
An object of pursuit: The police lost their quarry in the crowd.

Origin:

Origin: Middle English querre, entrails of a deer given to hounds as a reward

Origin: , from Old French cuiriee

Origin: , alteration (influenced by cuir, skin)

Origin: of coree

Origin: , from Vulgar Latin *corāta, viscera

Origin: , from Latin cor, heart; see kerd- in Indo-European roots

noun pl. quar·ries

An open excavation or pit from which stone is obtained by digging, cutting, or blasting.
A rich or productive source: found the book an indispensable quarry of information.

transitive verb quar·ried, quar·ry·ing, quar·ries

To obtain (stone) from a quarry, as by cutting, digging, or blasting.
To extract (facts, for example) by long, careful searching: finally quarried out the genealogy from hundreds of sources.
To use (land) as a quarry.

Origin:

Origin: Middle English quarey

Origin: , from Medieval Latin quareria, quareia

Origin: , alteration of Old French quarriere

Origin: , from *quarre, cut stone

Origin: , from Latin quadrum, square; see k^wetwer- in Indo-European roots

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