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.

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 excavated

Today, I took in the whole giant dig, with hundreds of the soldiers on view and thousands more waiting to be excavated.
To Serve and Protect|Blake Gopnik|September 27, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The land was developed for homes in 1974, but residents were relocated while the area was excavated and rebuilt in 1988.
Our Most Polluted States|The Daily Beast|May 19, 2010|DAILY BEAST
But the most remarkable circumstance is the mode in which it disposes of the excavated materials.
An Introduction to Entomology: Vol. I (of 4)|William Kirby
The greater number are excavated grottoes, the fronts of which are careful imitations of timbered houses.
History of Ancient Art|Franz von Reber

The steam shovel was then put in, and excavated to a depth of five or six feet.
Cyclopedia of Commerce, Accountancy, Business Administration v. 2|Various
The streets had been excavated out of the earth, and are in many places several feet below the surface.
The Eve of All-Hallows, v. 2 of 3|Matthew Weld Hartstonge
Later, when antique beauty was excavated from ruins, the Christian style of art seemed sad.
The Red Lily, Complete|Anatole France

British Dictionary definitions for excavated

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 excavated

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.