exhume

verb

ex·​hume ig-ˈzüm 

igz-ˈyüm,

iks-ˈ(h)yüm 

exhumed; exhuming

transitive verb

1

: disinter

exhume a body

2

: to bring back from neglect or obscurity

exhumed a great deal of information from the archives

exhumation

ˌeks-(h)yü-ˈmā-shən 

ˌeg-zü-

ˌegz-yü- 

noun

exhumer

ig-ˈzü-mər 

igz-ˈyü-

iks-ˈ(h)yü-

noun

Synonyms

• disinter
• unearth

Examples of exhume in a Sentence

the remains of John Paul Jones were exhumed in Paris and transported with great ceremony to the U.S. Naval Academy

Recent Examples on the Web

He was convicted of poisoning her and suspected in the poisoning deaths of his other wives, including one who was buried then later exhumed in Oak Woods Cemetery. —Marianne Mather, Chicago Tribune, 24 Oct. 2024

Now, in the converted space, on rows of stainless tables, lay 13,000 bones exhumed from 46 graves — and 62 caskets — from the cemetery on the hill above Honolulu. —Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 16 Oct. 2024

Finally, in December 2023, a judge granted a request from investigators and the district attorney in Harrison County to exhume the baby's body in hopes of identifying her by DNA analysis, which had advanced considerably since her death 30 years earlier. —Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2024

Gein was a grave robber, notorious for exhuming corpses from what was supposed to be their final resting place. —Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 17 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Medieval Latin exhumare, from Latin ex out of + humus earth — more at ex-, humble

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

exhume

verb

ex·​hume igz-ˈ(y)üm 

iks-ˈ(h)yüm

exhumed; exhuming

: to remove from a place of burial

exhumation

ˌeks-(h)yü-ˈmā-shən 

ˌegz-(y)ü-

noun

Medical Definition

exhume

transitive verb

ex·​hume igz-ˈ(y)üm  iks-ˈ(h)yüm 

exhumed; exhuming

: disinter

the body was exhumed for an autopsy

exhumation

ˌeks-(h)yü-ˈmā-shən  ˌegz-(y)ü- 

noun