excavate

[ eks-kuh-veyt ]

/ ˈɛks kəˌveɪt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR excavate ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), ex·ca·vat·ed, ex·ca·vat·ing.

to make hollow by removing the inner part; make a hole or cavity in; form into a hollow, as by digging: The ground was excavated for a foundation.

to make (a hole, tunnel, etc.) by removing material.

to dig or scoop out (earth, sand, etc.).

to expose or lay bare by or as if by digging; unearth: to excavate an ancient city.

Nearby words

Origin of excavate

1590–1600; < Latin excavātus (past participle of excavāre to hollow out), equivalent to ex- ex-¹ + cav(um) hollow, cave + -ātus -ate¹

Related formsre·ex·ca·vate, verb (used with object), re·ex·ca·vat·ed, re·ex·ca·vat·ing.un·ex·ca·vat·ed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for excavate

There have been attempts to excavate the remains, and many have been removed over the past half-decade.
A WWII Battle Frozen in Time|Nina Strochlic|May 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In the years since, Alford has worked hard to excavate what she really feels.
JFK’s Intern-Mistress Mimi Alford Confesses, ‘I Did Love Him’|Leslie Bennetts|February 10, 2012|DAILY BEAST
However, de-miners crawling on their bellies to identify, excavate, and destroy mines remain the default modus operandi.
Diana Landmine Conspiracies Return|Martyn Gregory|June 6, 2010|DAILY BEAST
Referring to the cost of cofferdam work, we see that, in order to excavate the 58 cu.
Concrete Construction|Halbert P. Gillette

I looked among the dead, to see if I could find any iron implement with which to excavate the wall, or to break the chains.
Rule of the Monk|Giuseppe Garibaldi
It was found desirable to excavate a part of the sea-level channel before the water was let into it.
The Panama Canal|Frederic Jennings Haskin
In order to make the determinations it was necessary to excavate a cave in the glacier.
The Home of the Blizzard|Douglas Mawson
Some day men will excavate upon this ground, of which the surface has been barely scratched.
Naples Past and Present|Arthur H. Norway

British Dictionary definitions for excavate

excavate

/ (ˈɛkskəˌveɪt) /

verb

to remove (soil, earth, etc) by digging; dig out

to make (a hole, cavity, or tunnel) in (solid matter) by hollowing or removing the centre or inner partto excavate a tooth

to unearth (buried objects) methodically in an attempt to discover information about the past

Derived Formsexcavation, noun

Word Origin for excavate

C16: from Latin excavāre, from cavāre to make hollow, from cavus hollow

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for excavate

excavate

1590s, from Latin excavatus, past participle of excavare "to hollow out," from ex- "out" (see ex-) + cavare "to hollow, hollow out," from cavus "cave" (see cave (n.)). Related: Excavated; excavating.