excavation

n. C / U

B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˌɛkskəˈveɪʃən// UK //ˌɛkskəvˈeɪʃən// ex·ca·va·tion

n. the act of digging in the ground to find things from the past, like old buildings or bones. It can also mean a hole made by digging for a new building.

n. the systematic removal of earth or debris to reveal archaeological remains or to prepare a site for construction. Often refers to the scientific process of unearthing historical artifacts.

SIMPLE

The excavation of the old castle took three years.

CONTEXTUAL

Archaeologists began the excavation of the Roman villa after a local farmer found pieces of pottery in his field.

COMPLEX

The urban excavation revealed layers of history spanning five centuries, requiring the construction crew to halt work while historians documented the foundations of the medieval marketplace.

Synonyms

Origin

From Latin excavātiō (“a hollowing out”), from excavō (“I hollow out”), from ex + cavō (“I hollow out”), from cavus (“hollow”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱewh₁- (“vault, hole”).

Usage

Both countable for a specific site or project, and uncountable for the general activity of digging.