quarry Definition

quarry¹
noun quarries

1a. An open excavation for the purpose of extracting stone or slate for building;
1b. A place from which stone, etc can be excavated.
2. Any source of information, data or knowledge, etc.

verb quarries, quarried, quarrying

1. To extract (stone, etc) from a quarry.
2. To excavate a quarry in (land).
3a. To get a supply of (material or information) from a source;
3b. To search through and extract information or material, etc from (a source).

Derivative: quarrying
noun

Etymology: 15c: from Latin quadrare to make (stones) square.

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quarry²
noun quarries

1. A animal or bird that is hunted, especially one that is the usual prey of some other animal or bird.
2. Someone or something that is the object of pursuit.

Thesaurus: prey, victim, prize, target.

Etymology: 17c; 14c meaning ‘the entrails of a deer placed on the hide and given to hunting dogs as a reward': from French cuiree, from cuir hide.