excavate

[eks-kuh-veyt]

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.

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. 2018

Related Words for excavate

unearth, uncover, shovel, scrape, gouge, cut, quarry, grub, tunnel, mine, hollow, trench, scoop, burrow, spade, delve, empty

Examples from the Web for excavate

Contemporary Examples of 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
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
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

Historical Examples of excavate

They were men who had studied Greek history and Greek art and they planned to excavate Olympia.
Buried Cities, Part 2
Jennie Hall
Excavate: with a depression that is not the segment of a circle.
Explanation of Terms Used in Entomology
John. B. Smith
Aren't they ever going to excavate it like they did Pompeii?
The Jolliest School of All
Angela Brazil
It took an average of 35 shifts to excavate one row of caissons.
Concrete Construction
Halbert P. Gillette
The top was absolutely flat and of some depth, as it was so hard to excavate.
Madge Morton's Victory
Amy D.V. Chalmers

British Dictionary definitions for excavate

excavate

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

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.