excavate
[ eks-kuh-veyt ]
/ ˈɛks kəˌveɪt /
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.
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RELATED WORDS
unearth, uncover, shovel, scrape, gouge, cut, quarry, grub, tunnel, mine, hollow, trench, scoop, burrow, spade, delve, empty
Nearby words
- exc.,
- excalation,
- excalibur,
- excardination,
- excaudate,
- excavation,
- excavation of optic disk,
- excavator,
- exceed,
- exceedance
Origin of excavate
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web 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
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
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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.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper