disinter

American  

[dis-in-tur] / ˌdɪs ɪnˈtɜr /

verb (used with object)

disinterred, disinterring

1. to take out of the place of interment; exhume; unearth.

2. to bring from obscurity into view.

   The actor's autobiography disinterred a past era.

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disinter British  

/ ˌdɪsɪnˈtɜː /

verb

1. to remove or dig up; exhume

2. to bring (a secret, hidden facts, etc) to light; expose

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Other Word Forms

• disinterment noun

Etymology

Origin of disinter

First recorded in 1605–15; dis- ¹ + inter

Example Sentences

Ingrid Rojas Contreras goes on to explore her family’s history as curanderos — South American shamans like her grandfather, whose bones the family decides to disinter in accordance with his spectral request.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 2, 2022

To fully identify graves, remains, and identities, researchers must also gather records, collect oral histories, and possibly disinter bodies — and it's not clear yet if communities will want to take the final painful step.

From Salon • Apr. 13, 2022

Banaji also said the agency doesn't plan to disinter the remains and try to identify them because it lacks sufficient documentation.

From Fox News • Aug. 2, 2021

In 1960, Clemson was allowed by a judge to disinter some of the remains to facilitate the “orderly and proper development of the campus.”

From Seattle Times • Apr. 6, 2021

As though he could disinter it by force.

From "The Serpent King" by Jeff Zentner