excavation

noun

ex·​ca·​va·​tion ˌek-skə-ˈvā-shən How to pronounce excavation (audio)
1
: the action or process of excavating
2
: a cavity formed by cutting, digging, or scooping
excavational
ˌek-skə-ˈvā-sh(ə-)nəl
-shə-nᵊl
adjective

Examples of excavation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Human remains and 15 grave shafts were discovered late last month by Indianapolis Department of Public Works crews during excavation for the Henry Street Bridge project. Jade Jackson, The Indianapolis Star, 5 Nov. 2024 The fragment was unearthed at Mount Zion, a hill that lies just outside the Old City of Jerusalem, during an excavation directed by Shimon Gibson, an archaeologist at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and Rafael Lewis, an archaeologist at Bar-Ilan University in Israel. Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Nov. 2024 Her excavations of the self often come in tones of surprise: surprise at having made it this far, surprise at the velocity of her feelings, surprise that there is still more to be felt after all this time. Hanif Abdurraqib, The New Yorker, 27 Oct. 2024 Some of his skeletal remains were uncovered beneath large stones during an excavation of the well in 1938. Ashley Strickland, CNN, 25 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for excavation 

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin excavātiōn-, excavātiō, from excavāre "to hollow out, excavate" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of verbal action

First Known Use

circa 1611, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of excavation was circa 1611

Dictionary Entries Near excavation

Cite this Entry

“Excavation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/excavation. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

excavation

noun
ex·​ca·​va·​tion ˌek-skə-ˈvā-shən How to pronounce excavation (audio)
1
: the act or process of excavating
2
: a hollowed-out place formed by excavating

Medical Definition

excavation

noun
ex·​ca·​va·​tion ˌek-skə-ˈvā-shən How to pronounce excavation (audio)
1
: the action or process of excavating
2
: a cavity formed by or as if by cutting, digging, or scooping
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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