Definition

Noun: 1. A surface excavation for extracting stone or slate: A "stone pit" is an open-air excavation or hole in the ground from which stone, rock, or slate is dug or blasted for use as a building or paving material. 2. A British term for 'quarry': In British English, "stone pit" is a common synonym for the more general term "quarry."

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The old stone pit has been abandoned for decades and is now filled with water.
  • They worked long hours in the stone pit, cutting slabs of limestone.
  • The local stone pit supplied the granite for the town hall.

Advanced Usage

• "to work a stone pit": To be employed in or to operate a quarry for stone extraction.
  • His family has worked this stone pit for three generations.

Variants and Related Words

• Quarry (n): The more common and general term for an excavation for extracting stone, minerals, or slate. (Note: "Stone pit" is a specific type of quarry).
• Pit (n): A large, deep hole in the ground. A "stone pit" is a specific kind of pit.
• Open-cast mine (n): A broader term for a mine where minerals are extracted from an open pit, which can include stone pits.

Synonyms

• Quarry
• Excavation
• Mine (when referring to stone extraction)
• Open-pit mine

Related Phrases

• Pit face: The exposed vertical surface of stone in a quarry or stone pit where extraction occurs.
  • The workers drilled into the pit face to set the explosives.

Noun

1. a surface excavation for extracting stone or slate
   • a British term for `quarry' is `stone pit'