excavation

American  

[eks-kuh-vey-shuhn] / ˌɛks kəˈveɪ ʃən /

noun

• excavations
  plural

1. a hole or cavity made by excavating.

2. the act of excavating.

3. an area in which excavating has been done or is in progress, as an archaeological site.

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Synonym Usage

See hole.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonexcavation
  noun
• reexcavation
  noun
• excavational
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• excavations
  plural

Etymology

Origin of excavation

First recorded in 1605–15; from Latin excavātiōn- (stem of excavātiō ) “a hollowing.” See excavate, -ion

Explanation

Excavation is the act or process of digging, especially when something specific is being removed from the ground. Archaeologists use excavation to find artifacts and fossils. There are many types of excavation, but they all involve digging holes in the earth. Mining for coal, gold, or diamonds all require excavation, and before buildings and houses can be built, there is often some excavation that's done before a foundation can be poured. The Latin source of excavation is excavationem, "a hollowing out," from excavare, "to hollow out," with its roots of ex-, "out," and cavare, "to hollow."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

excavation excavations

The Saint Simeon monastery itself was subjected to "looting, illegal excavation, military use and neglect", according to site director Abdel Jalil Arabi.

From Barron's ● Jul. 20, 2026

The excavation team camped out for five months each year to cover all the ground needed to recover every piece, which ended up being about 7,000 square feet.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

On the day Al-Zaharnah monitored the excavation, the crews were working at a painfully slow pace, peeling back the pancaked layers of the building one by one.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026

Broadband provider Openreach said workers carrying out sewer excavation work on Hall Lane, Maghull, caused "significant damage" to part of its underground network.

From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026

He told Nathan of how years and years ago, before the excavation of the nearby mining cave, this land was green, and grass would grow as tall as Nathan’s knee.

From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young

"The discoveries from the excavations, especially coins bearing Homer's likeness, show us that the inhabitants of ancient Smyrna considered the poet to be one of their own," archaeologist Mehmet Akif Erdem said.

From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026

Kusman was hired as a labourer on the Cavustepe excavations after his military service in the 1960s and there encountered his first stele.

From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026

But small excavations between 2021 and 2024, brought on by Bolton's chance visit to the cavern, uncovered evidence of both humans and animals over more than 120,000 years.

From BBC ● Jul. 16, 2026

Continued excavations and analysis have now extended that timeline.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 24, 2026

Archaeological excavations uncovered complex systems of drainage ditches dating back to 9,000 years ago and becoming extensive by 6,000 years ago, as well as terraces serving to retain soil moisture in drier areas.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Related Words

• dig
• mining
• removal