excavate

 
Pronunciation: /ˈɛkskəveɪt/

verb

[with object]
  • 1make (a hole or channel) by digging: the cheapest way of doing this was to excavate a long trench
  • dig out material from (the ground): the ground was largely excavated by hand
  • extract (material) from the ground by digging: a large amount of gravel would be excavated to form the channel
  • 2remove earth carefully from (an area) in order to find buried remains: the site was excavated in 1975
  • reveal or extract (buried remains) while excavating an area: clothing and weapons were excavated from the burial site

Origin:

late 16th century: from Latin excavat- 'hollowed out', from the verb excavare, from ex- 'out' + cavare 'make or become hollow' (from cavus 'hollow')