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excavate

Pronunciation: /ˈɛk.skə.veɪt/

The English word “excavate” has 6 meanings listed here.

verb

  1. To make a hole in (something); to hollow.
  2. To remove part of (something) by scooping or digging it out.
  3. To uncover (something) by digging.

adjective

  1. Made hollow.
  2. excavated, hollowed out

noun

  1. Any member of a major grouping of unicellular eukaryotes, of the clade Excavata.

Etymology

First attested in 1599, from Latin excavātus (“hollowed out”), perfect passive participle of excavō (“to hollow out”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from ex (“out”) + cavō (“to hollow out, pierce”), from cavus (“cave, hole”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix). Participial usage up until Early Modern English.

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