Where does “quarry” come from?
Quarry comes from Medieval Latin quarreria, from Old French cuiriee and coree, from Latin quadrus, cor, and caput, ultimately meaning head.
quarry (English): A site for mining stone, limestone, or slate; To...
Definitions
- A site for mining stone, limestone, or slate; To...
Ancestry of “quarry”, step by step
quarry traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English quarere
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | quarere | — |
| 2 | Medieval Latin | quarreria | — |
| 3 | Old French | quarrière | — |
| 4 | Vulgar Latin | quadraria | — |
| 5 | Latin | quadrō | to make four-cornered, square, make square |
| 6 | Latin | quādrus | square |
| 7 | Latin | quattŭor | four; 4 |
| 8 | Portuguese | quarto | ordinal form of quatro; fourth; quarter; fourth;... |
| 9 | Old Portuguese | quarto | quarter |
| 10 | Latin | quārtus | fourth |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷeturtos | — |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷetwóres | four |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷe- | and |
via English quarrel
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | quarrel | A dispute or heated argument; "Often preceded by... |
| 2 | Middle English | quarrel | bolt for an arbalest, crossbow, or siege engine; ... |
| 3 | Old French | quarel | square block of stone; square-headed bolt for a... |
| 4 | Vulgar Latin | quadrellus | — |