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excavate
Use
Excavate
in a sentence
ex·ca·vate
/
ˈɛks
kəˌveɪt
/
Show Spelled
[
eks
-k
uh
-veyt
]
Show IPA
verb (used with object),
ex·ca·vat·ed,
ex·ca·vat·ing.
1.
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.
2.
to make (a hole, tunnel, etc.) by removing material.
3.
to dig or scoop out (earth, sand, etc.).
4.
to expose or lay bare by or as if by digging; unearth:
to excavate an ancient city.
Origin:
1590–1600;
<
Latin
excavātus
(past participle of
excavāre
to hollow out), equivalent to
ex-
ex-
1
+
cav
(
um
) hollow,
cave
+
-ātus
-ate
1
Related forms
re·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 Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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excavate
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Excavate
is a GRE word you need to know.
So is
extricate
. Does it mean:
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extrude
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exegesis
. Does it mean:
to free or release from entanglement; disengage:
adj. fully revealed or made clear
to expand beyond the limits of truth
force out, thrust out
critical explanation or analysis, especially of a text
serving to expound, set forth, or explain something in writing or speech
LEARN MORE GRE WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...
Collins
World English Dictionary
excavate
(ˈɛkskəˌveɪt)
—
vb
1.
to remove (soil, earth, etc) by digging; dig out
2.
to make (a hole, cavity, or tunnel) in (solid matter) by hollowing or removing the centre or inner part:
to excavate a tooth
3.
to unearth (buried objects) methodically in an attempt to discover information about the past
[C16: from Latin
excavāre,
from
cavāre
to make hollow, from
cavus
hollow]
exca'vation
—
n
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
excavate
1590s, from L. excavatus, pp. of excavare "to hollow out," from ex- "out" + cavare "to hollow," from cavus "cave." Related: Excavated; excavating.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Example sentences
Preparatory work will occupy construction crews for several months, as they clear ground and
excavate
for new foundations.
Foraging birds
excavate
large, rectangular holes in trunks and logs.
There are no plans now to
excavate
any more remains, and those that have been
excavate
d will be re-buried after study.
They will return next summer to
excavate
the skeletons.
They plan to
excavate
that lower chamber this year, after they secure sufficient funding to continue the dig.
Upon a signal, the students use their tool to try to
excavate
as many chips and nuts as possible in the shortest time possible.
Prairie dogs, for example,
excavate
burrows in expansive areas known as towns.
If you dig into the past, it seems, it is inevitable that you will
excavate
things.
During fall, overwintering woodpeckers also
excavate
cavities for winter roosting.
Kids can dig for fossils and
excavate
replicas of dinosaur bones.
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Synonyms
unearth
uncover
scrape
quarry
hollow
delve
scoop
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burrow
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