exhume

verb

ex·​hume ig-ˈzüm How to pronounce exhume (audio)
igz-ˈyüm,
iks-ˈ(h)yüm How to pronounce exhume (audio)
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 noun
exhumer
ig-ˈzü-mər How to pronounce exhume (audio)
igz-ˈyü-
iks-ˈ(h)yü-
noun

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
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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 That assumption proved to be unfounded six years later when the truth came to light and Mengele’s remains were exhumed for analysis by international experts. Josh Weiss, Forbes, 1 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for exhume 

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of exhume was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near exhume

Cite this Entry

“Exhume.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/exhume. Accessed 8 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

exhume

verb
ex·​hume igz-ˈ(y)üm How to pronounce exhume (audio)
iks-ˈ(h)yüm
exhumed; exhuming
: to remove from a place of burial
exhumation noun

Medical Definition

exhume

transitive verb
exhumed; exhuming
: disinter
the body was exhumed for an autopsy

More from Merriam-Webster on exhume

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