excavation

American  

[eks-kuh-vay-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

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Etymology

Origin of excavation

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

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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

"The study was to be conducted before the excavation and digging", not after, said local artist Salwa Mahmoud.

From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026

Meanwhile, Democratic Virginia Congressman Don Beyer says excavation work on the site where the arch will stand has already begun.

From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026

The excavation process took longer than usual, about 10 days, since the fossils were encased in very hard mudstone under six feet of rock, he said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026

Satellite imagery reviewed by the Center for Strategic and International Studies indicates “a clear surge in construction activity in 2026” and a shift “from active excavation toward probable internal construction.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026

He had not only taken courses in archaeology but also taken part in a dry-land excavation.

From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler

Remains of at least 10 Neanderthals were discovered in excavations in the cave in the 1950s.

From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026

They also hope to carry out targeted excavations at both the Devil's Arrows and the newly identified source area.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 9, 2026

While they are still to be fixed, water in the river is again running freely after a multi-agency and community effort saw vital excavations and tree removal take place.

From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026

"The discoveries from the excavations, especially coins bearing Homer's likeness, show us that the inhabitants of ancient Smyrna considered the poet to be one of their own," archaeologist Mehmet Akif Erdem said.

From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026

He showed Richard the wide rectangular ditches where the excavations had taken place, the shovels and pans that had been used to brush the dust off the bronzes.

From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

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Related Words

• dig
• mining
• removal

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