quarry

1 of 4

noun (1)

quar·ry ˈkwȯr-ē

ˈkwär-

plural quarries

Synonyms of quarry next

: game

specifically : game hunted with hawks

: one that is sought or pursued : prey

obsolete : a heap of the game killed in a hunt

quarry

2 of 4

noun (2)

plural quarries

: an open excavation usually for obtaining building stone, slate, or limestone

: a rich source

quarry

3 of 4

verb

quarried; quarrying

transitive verb

: to dig or take from or as if from a quarry

quarry marble

: to make a quarry in

quarry a hill

intransitive verb

: to delve in or as if in a quarry

quarry

4 of 4

noun (3)

plural quarries

: a diamond-shaped pane of glass, stone, or tile

Examples of quarry in a Sentence

Noun (1) a hunter relentlessly tracking his quarry Verb an area where workers are quarrying for limestone

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

And that's a shout-out to in the early days of the work at this quarry, the field crew was just relentlessly pestered by flying gnats and biting gnats. —

Abc News, ABC News, 15 Aug. 2024 The other explanation: Tinos’s abundant marble quarries, which have fed a centuries-old network of skilled carvers and inspired countless artists. —

Julie Belcove, Robb Report, 4 Aug. 2024 The paparazzi photos that leaked showed Reynolds' Deadpool and Jackman's Wolverine shooting an action sequence involving a host of characters in a clay quarry in London, then again walking the countryside in South England. —

Nick Romano, EW.com, 24 July 2024 Dinosaur National Monument spans more than 210,000 acres in Colorado and Utah and is best known for the dinosaur quarry containing preserved fossils, officials said. —

Brooke Baitinger, Idaho Statesman, 1 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for quarry

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'quarry.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English quirre, querre entrails of game given to the hounds, from Anglo-French cureie, quereie, from quir, cuir skin, hide (on which the entrails were placed), from Latin corium — more at cuirass

Noun (2)

Middle English quarey, alteration of quarrere, from Anglo-French, from Vulgar Latin *quadraria, from Late Latin quadrus hewn (literally, squared) stone, from Latin quadrum square

Noun (3)

alteration of quarrel entry 1

First Known Use

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Noun (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1774, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun (3)

1537, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of quarry was in the 14th century

See more words from the same century

Cite this Entry

Style

“Quarry.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quarry. Accessed 11 Sep. 2024.

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Kids Definition

quarry

1 of 3 noun

quar·ry ˈkwȯr-ē

ˈkwär-

plural quarries

: an animal hunted as game or prey

: something sought or chased after

quarry

2 of 3 noun

plural quarries

: an open pit usually for obtaining building stone, slate, or limestone

quarry

3 of 3 verb

quarried; quarrying

: to dig or take from or as if from a quarry

: to make a quarry in

quarrier noun

Etymology

Noun

Middle English querre "the part of a game animal given to the hounds," from early French cureie, quereie (same meaning), from cuir "skin, hide" (on which the animal parts were placed), from Latin corium (same meaning)

Noun

Middle English quarey, an altered form of quarrere "a place for digging stones for use in building," from Latin quadrus "hewn stone," literally, "squared stone," from Latin quadrum "a square"

Word Origin

The quarry a hunter chases is not related to the quarry that supplies building stones. The word for a hunter's quarry can be traced back to a ceremony that was once part of every successful hunt. The hounds used for chasing the game were rewarded after the kill by being allowed to eat part of the dead animal, which was given to them on a piece of hide. The French word for this hounds' share was cureie or quereie, which was borrowed into Middle English as querre. The word later came to be used for the live game animal itself. Now a quarry is anything that is pursued.

Last Updated: 2 Sep 2024 - Updated example sentences

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quarry

noun (1)

noun (2)

verb

noun (3)

Synonyms

Examples of quarry in a Sentence

Word History

Dictionary Entries Near quarry

Cite this Entry

Kids Definition