quarry

quarry · noun, verb¹

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*kʷetwóres“four”
2. Latin · derived fromquadrō“to square”
3. Vulgar Latin · derived from*quadraria
4. Old French · derived fromquarrière
5. Medieval Latin · derived fromquarreria
6. Middle English · inherited fromquarere
7. English todayquarry

From Middle English quarere, from Medieval Latin quarreria (1266), literally a “place where stones are squared”, from Old French quarrière (compare modern French carrière), from Vulgar Latin *quadraria, from Latin quadrō (“to square”), itself from quadra (“a square”), from quattuor (“four”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kʷetwóres (“four”).

quarry · noun, verb²

1. Latin · derived fromcor“heart”
2. Vulgar Latin · derived fromcorata“entrails”
3. Latin · derived fromcorium“a hide”
4. Anglo-Norman · derived fromquiree“entrails of deer placed on the hide and given to dogs of the chase as a reward”
5. Middle English · inherited fromquyrre
6. English todayquarry

From Middle English quyrre, querre, quirre, from Anglo-Norman quiree (“entrails of deer placed on the hide and given to dogs of the chase as a reward”) (influenced by cuir (“skin (of an animal)”), from Latin corium (“a hide”)), from coree (“entrails, viscera”), from Vulgar Latin corata (“entrails”), from Latin cor (“heart”).

quarry · noun³

Alteration of quarrel (“diamond-shaped piece of coloured glass forming part of a stained glass window; square tile”).

Words from the same roots