quarry 1
— quarriable, quarryable , adj.
/kwawr"ee, kwor"ee/ , n. , pl. quarries , v. , quarried, quarrying .
n.
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.
v.t.
3. to obtain (stone) from or as if from a quarry.
4. to make a quarry in.
[ 1375-1425; ME quarey (n.) quareia, var. of quareria quarriere quadraria place where stone is squared, deriv. of L quadrare to square ]
quarry 2
/kwawr"ee, kwor"ee/ , n. , pl. quarries .
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; ME querre cuiree, deriv. of cuir skin, hide corium ]
quarry 3
/kwawr"ee, kwor"ee/ , n. , pl. quarries .
1. a square stone or tile.
2. quarrel 2 (def. 2).
[ 1545-55; n. use of obs. quarry (adj.) square quarre quadratus QUADRATE ]