Excavate: meaning, definitions and examples
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excavate
[ ˈɛkskəˌveɪt ]
archaeology
To remove earth carefully and systematically in order to uncover buried remains such as buildings or artifacts.
Synonyms
Examples of usage
- They excavated the site and discovered ancient pottery.
- The archaeologists are excavating a Roman villa.
construction
To make a hole or channel by digging.
Synonyms
dig, dig out, hollow out
Examples of usage
- The workers excavated a trench for the new pipeline.
- They are excavating the foundation for the building.
Translations
Translations of the word "excavate" in other languages:
🇵🇹 escavar
🇮🇳 खोदना
🇩🇪 ausgraben
🇮🇩 menggali
🇺🇦 копати
🇵🇱 wykopać
🇯🇵 掘る (ほる)
🇫🇷 excaver
🇪🇸 excavar
🇹🇷 kazmak
🇰🇷 파다
🇸🇦 حفر
🇨🇿 vykopat
🇸🇰 vykopať
🇨🇳 挖掘 (wājué)
🇸🇮 izkopati
🇮🇸 grafa
🇰🇿 қазу
🇬🇪 ამოყვანა
🇦🇿 qazmaq
🇲🇽 excavar
Word origin
The word 'excavate' comes from the Latin word 'excavatus', which is the past participle of 'excavare', meaning 'to hollow out'. The term has been used since the 16th century in English, originally in the sense of digging a hole or channel. Over time, it has expanded to include the systematic removal of earth in archaeological and geological contexts.