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Added 9 October 2026

excavate

/ˈɛk.skə.veɪt/ verb

In Latin: effodiō First recorded: 1599 Wiktionary

verb Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about excavate at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

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

adjective

Made hollow.
excavated, hollowed out

noun

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

Origin

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.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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