quar·ry ¹

[Middle English querre, entrails of a deer given to hounds as a reward, from Old French cuiriee, alteration (influenced by cuir, skin) of coree, from Vulgar Latin *corāta, viscera, from Latin cor, heart; see kerd- in Indo-European roots.]

quar·ry ²

[Middle English quarey, from Medieval Latin quareria, quareia, alteration of Old French quarriere, from *quarre, cut stone, from Latin quadrum, square; see k^wetwer- in Indo-European roots.]

quar′ri·er n.

quar·ry ³

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

quarry

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

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

[C16: from Old French quarré; see quarrel²]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

quar•ry¹

n., pl. -ries, n.

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

2. an abundant source or supply.

3. to obtain from or as if from a quarry.

4. to make a quarry in.

[1375–1425; Middle English quarey (n.) < Old French quarriere < Vulgar Latin *quadrāria place where stone is squared]

quar•ry²

n., pl. -ries.

1. an animal or bird hunted or pursued.

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

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

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

quar•ry³

n., pl. -ries.

1. a square stone or tile.

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

Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

Quarry

Examples: quarry of the dead, 1603; quarry of piled vanities, 1633.

Dictionary of Collective Nouns and Group Terms. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

quarry

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011