excavation

American  

[eks-kuh-vey-shuhn] / ˌɛks kəˈveɪ ʃən /

noun

• excavations
  plural

1. a hole or cavity made by excavating.

2. the act of excavating.

3. an area in which excavating has been done or is in progress, as an archaeological site.

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Synonym Usage

See hole.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonexcavation
  noun
• reexcavation
  noun
• excavational
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• excavations
  plural

Etymology

Origin of excavation

First recorded in 1605–15; from Latin excavātiōn- (stem of excavātiō ) “a hollowing.” See excavate, -ion

Explanation

Excavation is the act or process of digging, especially when something specific is being removed from the ground. Archaeologists use excavation to find artifacts and fossils. There are many types of excavation, but they all involve digging holes in the earth. Mining for coal, gold, or diamonds all require excavation, and before buildings and houses can be built, there is often some excavation that's done before a foundation can be poured. The Latin source of excavation is excavationem, "a hollowing out," from excavare, "to hollow out," with its roots of ex-, "out," and cavare, "to hollow."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

excavation excavations

Emily Lindsey, curator and excavation site director at the La Brea Tar Pits’ center, said the discovery of the ice age toad is an example of the ongoing discoveries being made at the museum.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026

The Saint Simeon monastery itself was subjected to "looting, illegal excavation, military use and neglect", according to site director Abdel Jalil Arabi.

From Barron's ● Jul. 20, 2026

Northumbrian Water said it had discovered damaged private and public pipework, as well as incorrectly fitted household pipes on Beverley Terrace, during recent survey and excavation work.

From BBC ● Jul. 16, 2026

The excavation team camped out for five months each year to cover all the ground needed to recover every piece, which ended up being about 7,000 square feet.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

Larsen Bay was the single most productive excavation of Hrdlicka’s long career.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

"Our excavations may tell us something about the end of Urartu," he said, noting that researchers have found "the traces of a very powerful earthquake."

From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026

"For 60 years, he has lived amid the excavations and introduced thousands of visitors to the history of Urartu."

From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026

"Restoration work has now begun along with excavations," he says.

From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026

Beginning in the 1880s, he funded Hebrew schools there, as well as agricultural settlements and archaeological excavations meant to reconnect Jews to the soil and the ancient Hebrew civilization buried beneath it.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 7, 2026

Archaeological excavations uncovered complex systems of drainage ditches dating back to 9,000 years ago and becoming extensive by 6,000 years ago, as well as terraces serving to retain soil moisture in drier areas.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Related Words

• dig
• mining
• removal