quarry
noun/ˈkwɒri/
/ˈkwɑːri/
(plural quarries)
- [countable] a place where large amounts of stone, etc. are dug out of the ground
- a slate quarry
- the site of a disused quarry
- [singular] an animal or a person that is being hunted or followed synonym prey
- The hunters lost sight of their quarry in the forest.
- The photographers pursued their quarry through the streets.
Word Originnoun sense 1 Middle English: from a variant of medieval Latin quareria, from Old French quarriere, based on Latin quadrum ‘a square’. The verb dates from the late 18th cent. noun sense 2 Middle English: from Old French cuiree, alteration, influenced by cuir ‘leather’ and curer ‘clean, disembowel’, of couree, based on Latin cor ‘heart’. Originally the term denoted the parts of a deer that were placed on the hide and given as a reward to the hounds.
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quarry