quarry

noun

/ˈkwɒri/

/ˈkwɑːri/

(plural quarries)

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[countable] a place where large amounts of stone, etc. are dug out of the ground
- a slate quarry
- the site of a disused quarry
compare mine
[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.

quarry

verb

/ˈkwɒri/

/ˈkwɑːri/

[usually passive]

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they quarry	/ˈkwɒri/ /ˈkwɑːri/
he / she / it quarries	/ˈkwɒriz/ /ˈkwɑːriz/
past simple quarried	/ˈkwɒrid/ /ˈkwɑːrid/
past participle quarried	/ˈkwɒrid/ /ˈkwɑːrid/
-ing form quarrying	/ˈkwɒriɪŋ/ /ˈkwɑːriɪŋ/

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to take stone, etc. out of a quarry
- A is quarried (from/out of B) The local rock is quarried from the hillside.
- B is quarried (for A) The area is being quarried for limestone.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
Quarry is used with these nouns as the object:
marble
See full entry
Word Originverb 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.