quar·ry¹ / ˈkwôrē; ˈkwä-/ • n. (pl. -ries) a place, typically a large, deep pit, from which stone or other materials are or have been extracted.• v. (-ries, -ried) [tr.] extract (stone or other materials) from a quarry. ∎  cut into (rock or ground) to obtain stone or other materials.quar·ry² • n. (pl. -ries) an animal pursued by a hunter, hound, predatory mammal, or bird of prey. ∎  a thing or person that is chased or sought: the security police crossed the border in pursuit of their quarry.quar·ry³ • n. (pl. -ries) 1. (also quar·rel) a diamond-shaped pane of glass as used in lattice windows. 2. (also quarry tile) an unglazed floor tile.

540. Quarry

1. Cerynean stag captured by Hercules as third Labor. [Gk. and Rom. Myth.: Hall, 149]
2. Cretan bull savage bull caught by Hercules as seventh Labor. [Gk. and Rom. Myth.: Hall, 149]
3. Erymanthian boar Hercules’ fourth Labor: to take this ravaging beast alive. [Gk. and Rom. Myth.: Hall, 149]
4. fetching Cerberus Hercules’ twelfth Labor: capture the Hadean watchdog. [Gk. and Rom. Myth.: Hall, 150]
5. Moby Dick pursued by Ahab and crew of Pequod. [Am. Lit.: Moby Dick ]
6. Nemean lion awesome beast strangled by Hercules as first Labor. [Gk. and Rom. Myth.: Hall, 148]
7. Old Ben great bear; subject of annual quest by mature men. [Am. Lit.: The Bear in Six Modern Short Novels ]
8. oxen of Geryon captured after tremendous obstacles overcome; Hercules’ tenth Labor. [Gk. and Rom. Myth.: Hall, 149]
9. snark elusive imaginary animal. [Br. Lit.: The Hunting of the Snark ]
10. Wolfman metamorphosed man hunted down by armed men as wild beast. [Am. Lit.: Wolfman ]

quarry1 parts of a deer placed on the hide and given to the hounds; collection of deer killed XIV; animal hunted or hawked at XV. ME. quirre, querre — AN. *quire, *quere, OF. cuiree (mod. curée), alt., by crossing with cuir leather and curer cleanse, spec. disembowel (:- L. curāre CURE), of couree :- Rom. *corāta entrails, f. cor HEART; see -Y5.

quarry3 square tile, etc. XVI; †square-headed arrow: pane of glass XVII. alt. of QUARREL1, prob. after †quarry square (XIII–XVII) — OF. quarré (mod. carré):- L. quadrātus QUADRAT.

quarry an animal which is being hunted. Originally, the term denoted the parts of a deer that were placed on the hide and given as a reward to the hounds; the word comes (in Middle English) from Old French cuiree, an alteration, influenced by cuir ‘leather’ and curer ‘clean, disembowel’, of couree, based on Latin cor ‘heart’.