3 entries found for quarry. To select an entry, click on it.
Main Entry: 1quar·ry Pronunciation: kwr-, kwär- Inflected
Form(s): plural quarries Etymology: 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)
1: an animal hunted as game or prey 2: something sought or
chased after Word History 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 pu