Quarry
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 century.
wiktionary
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(“I square”), itself from quadra(“a square”), from quattuor(“four”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kʷetwóres(“four”).
From Middle English quyrrey, querre, curee, quirre, from Anglo-Norman quirreie, from Old French cuiriee(“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”).
Alteration of quarrel(“diamond-shaped piece of coloured glass forming part of a stained glass window; square tile”).
etymonline
quarry (n.1)
[what is hunted] early 14c., quirre "entrails of deer placed on the hide and given to dogs of the chase as a reward," from Anglo-French quirreie, Old French cuiriee "the spoil, quarry" (Modern French curée), altered (by influence of Old French cuir "skin," from Latin corium "hide"), from Old French corée "viscera, entrails," from Vulgar Latin *corata "entrails," from Latin cor "heart" (from PIE root *kerd- "heart").
The original meaning is obsolete. The sense of "beast of the chase when pursued or slain in a hunt" is by 1610s, also "any object of eager pursuit;" earlier "bird targeted by a hawk or other raptor" (late 15c.).
quarry (n.2)
"open place where rocks are excavated," late 14c., quarrei (mid-13c. as a place name), from Medieval Latin quareia, a dissimilation of quarreria (mid-13c.), literally "place where stones are squared," from Latin quadrare "to make square," related to quadrus "a square," quattuor "four" (from PIE root *kwetwer- "four"). Quarry-faced, of building stones, is "rough-faced, as though taken right from the quarry" (1849).
The word mine is generally applied to the excavations from which metals, metalliferous ores, and coal are taken ; from quarries are taken all the various materials used for building, as marble, freestone, slate, lime, cement, rock, etc. A quarry is usually open to the day : a mine is generally covered, communicating with the surface by one or more shafts. [Century Dictionary]
quarry (v.)
"to dig or take from a quarry," 1774, from quarry (n.2). Related: Quarried; quarrying.
