Word
archaeological
Phoneticsar·chae·o·log·i·cal
US/ˌɑɹkiəˈɫɑdʒɪkəɫ/
UK/ˌɑːkiːəlˈɒdʒɪkəl/
US spelling · archeological
Definition
adj. relating to the study of history by looking at old objects and buildings found in the ground.
adj. relating to the study of human history and prehistory through the excavation of sites and the analysis of physical remains.
Examples
“The team found old coins at the archaeological site.”
“The construction of the new subway line was delayed after workers discovered significant archaeological remains under the street.”
“Modern archaeological research increasingly relies on non-invasive technologies like ground-penetrating radar to map buried structures before any physical excavation begins.”
Examples
simple
“The team found old coins at the archaeological site.”
contextual
“The construction of the new subway line was delayed after workers discovered significant archaeological remains under the street.”
complex
“Modern archaeological research increasingly relies on non-invasive technologies like ground-penetrating radar to map buried structures before any physical excavation begins.”
Usage
Typically precedes the noun it modifies; often pairs with 'site', 'dig', or 'evidence'.
Pitfall
an archeology site
an archaeological site
Learners often use the noun 'archaeology' as a modifier instead of the correct adjective form 'archaeological'.
Real-World Examples
Common in history and science writing
“Up the hill, about 1,000 feet away, lay the ruins of the Roman city of Confloenta undergoing archaeological study.” “The next step will be trial trenches and archaeological investigations in the area where the parking facility is planned, depending on what the Roskilde municipality decides to do.” “Previous archaeological studies have identified meteoritic iron in Bronze Age objects from Egypt, the Near East, Europe and Asia.” “Before the late Shang period, no other archaeological site in China had produced such a large collection of human skulls.” Etymology
From archaeology + -ical.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Collocations
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englishreference.com/q/archaeological