What's the difference between
and
Enter two words to compare and contrast their definitions, origins, and synonyms to better understand how those words are related.

Quarry vs Pit - What's the difference?

quarry | pit |

In transitive terms the difference between quarry and pit

is that quarry is to obtain (mine) stone by extraction from a quarry while pit is to remove the stone from a stone fruit or the shell from a drupe.

quarry

English

(wikipedia quarry)

Etymology 1

From quarreria (1266), literally a "place where stones are squared", from (etyl) quadrare "to square", itself from quadra 'a square'

Noun

(quarries)
  • A site for mining stone, limestone or slate.
    • ''Michelangelo personally quarried marble from the world-famous quarry at Carrara
  • *
    • There was a good quarry of limestone on the farm

    Verb

  • To obtain (mine) stone by extraction from a quarry.
    • ''Michelangelo personally quarried marble from the world-famous quarry at Carrara.
  • (figuratively) To extract or slowly obtain by long, tedious searching.
    • ''They quarried out new, interesting facts about ancient Egypt from old papyri.
    Synonyms
    * (obtain stone by extraction) mine * (extract by search) dig (up)
    Derived terms
    * quarrying (noun)

    Etymology 2

    From quirre "entrails of deer placed on the hide and given to dogs of the chase as a reward," from (etyl) quirreie, from (etyl) cuiriee, altered (influenced by (etyl) cuir "skin," from (etyl) corium "hide"), from "viscera, entrails," from corata "entrails," from (etyl) cor "heart."

    Noun

    (quarries)
  • An animal which is hunted, notably mammal or bird.
  • A part of the entrails of a hunted animal, given to the hounds.
  • An object of search or pursuit.
  • * ''A US State Department website advertised a reward of up to $1m (£500,000) for the capture of its quarry , who was described as 5ft 11in (180cm) tall, with a pale complexion, "a moustache and a long, heavy beard that is starting to grey". - BBC News website, 27 April 2007
    • Synonyms
    * mark * prey * target

    Verb

  • To secure prey; to prey, as a vulture or harpy.
    • (rfquotek, L'Estrange)

    Etymology 3

    An alteration of quarrel

    Noun

    (quarries)
  • A diamond-shaped tile or pane, notably of glass or stone

    • References

    * English terms with multiple etymologies

    pit

    English

    (wikipedia pit)

    Etymology 1

    From (etyl), from (etyl) .

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A hole in the ground.
  • (motor racing) An area at a motor racetrack used for refueling and repairing the vehicles during a race.
  • (music) A section of the marching band containing mallet percussion instruments and other large percussion instruments too large to march, such as the tam tam. Also, the area on the sidelines where these instruments are placed.
  • A mine.
  • (archaeology) A hole or trench in the ground, excavated according to grid coordinates, so that the provenance of any feature observed and any specimen or artifact revealed may be established by precise measurement.
  • (trading) A trading pit.
  • Something particularly unpleasant.
  • The bottom part of.
  • (colloquial) Armpit, oxter.
  • (aviation) A luggage hold.
  • (countable) A small surface hole or depression, a fossa.
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-07-20, volume=408, issue=8845, magazine=(The Economist)
    • , title= Welcome to the plastisphere , passage=[The researchers] noticed many of their pieces of [plastic marine] debris sported surface pits' around two microns across. Such '''pits''' are about the size of a bacterial cell. Closer examination showed that some of these ' pits did, indeed, contain bacteria, […].}}
  • The indented mark left by a pustule, as in smallpox.
  • The grave, or underworld.
  • * Milton
    • Back to the infernal pit I drag thee chained.
  • * Bible, Job xxxiii. 18
    • He keepeth back his soul from the pit .
  • An enclosed area into which gamecocks, dogs, and other animals are brought to fight, or where dogs are trained to kill rats.
  • * John Locke
    • as fiercely as two gamecocks in the pit
  • Formerly, that part of a theatre, on the floor of the house, below the level of the stage and behind the orchestra; now, in England, commonly the part behind the stalls; in the United States, the parquet; also, the occupants of such a part of a theatre.
  • Part of a casino which typically holds tables for blackjack, craps, roulette, and other games.
    • Derived terms
    * armpit * money pit * pit-eye * pit stop

    Verb

    (pitt)
  • To make pits in.
    • Exposure to acid rain pitted the metal.
  • To put (a dog) into a pit for fighting.
  • To bring (something) into opposition with something else.
    • Are you ready to pit your wits against one of the world's greatest puzzles?
  • * 22 March 2012 , Scott Tobias, AV Club The Hunger Games [http://www.avclub.com/articles/the-hunger-games,71293/]
    • For the 75 years since a district rebellion was put down, The Games have existed as an assertion of the Capital’s power, a winner-take-all contest that touts heroism and sacrifice—participants are called “tributes”— while pitting the districts against each other.
  • (motor racing) To return to the pits during a race for refuelling, tyre changes, repairs etc.

    • Etymology 2

    From (etyl) . Compare (l).

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A seed inside a fruit; a stone or pip inside a fruit.
  • A shell in a drupe containing a seed.

    • Verb

    (pitt)
  • To remove the stone from a stone fruit or the shell from a drupe.
    • One must pit a peach to make it ready for a pie.

    Anagrams

    * * ----