excavate

[ eks-kuh-veyt ]

/ ˈɛks kəˌveɪt /

SEE 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.

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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

OTHER WORDS FROM excavate

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

Words nearby excavate

exc., excalation, excalibur, excardination, excaudate, excavate, excavation, excavation of optic disk, excavator, exceed, exceedance

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences 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 forms of excavate

excavation, 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

excavate

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

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Origin of excavate

OTHER WORDS FROM excavate

Words nearby excavate

Words related to excavate

Example sentences from the Web for excavate

British Dictionary definitions for excavate

verb

Derived forms of excavate

Word Origin for excavate