excavation

English

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -eɪʃən

Noun

excavation (countable and uncountable, plural excavations)

1. (uncountable) The act of excavating, or of making hollow, by cutting, scooping, or digging out a part of a solid mass.
2. (countable) A cavity formed by cutting, digging, or scooping.
3. (countable) An uncovered cutting in the earth, in distinction from a covered cutting or tunnel.
4. (countable) The material dug out in making a channel or cavity.
5. (uncountable) Archaeological research that unearths buildings, tombs and objects of historical value.
6. (countable) A site where an archaeological exploration is being carried out.

Translations

act of excavating, or of making hollow

• Bulgarian: изкопаване n (izkopavane)
• Catalan: excavació f
• Dutch: afgraving (nl) f
• Finnish: kaivaminen (fi), kaivuu (fi)
• German: Grabung f, Ausgrabung f (archaeology)
• Greek: εκσκαφή (el) f (ekskafí)
• Gujarati: ખોદકામ (khodkām)
• Ido: exkavo (io), exkavado (io)
• Italian: scavo (it) m

• Latin: excavatio f
• Malay: penggalian, pengorekan, ekskavasi
• Polish: wykopalisko (pl) n
• Portuguese: escavação (pt) f
• Russian: копа́ние (ru) n (kopánije), рытьё (ru) n (rytʹjó), экскава́ция (ru) f (ekskavácija)
• Scottish Gaelic: cladhach m
• Spanish: excavación (es) f
• Swedish: utgrävning c
• Telugu: తవ్వకము (te) (tavvakamu)

cavity formed by cutting, digging, or scooping

• Bulgarian: изкоп (bg) m (izkop)
• Dutch: bouwput (nl) m
• Finnish: kuoppa (fi)
• Ido: exkavuro (io)

• Polish: wykop (pl) m
• Portuguese: escavação (pt) f
• Russian: я́ма (ru) f (jáma), котлова́н (ru) m (kotlován), углубле́ние (ru) n (uglublénije)

uncovered cutting in the earth, in distinction from a covered cutting or tunnel

• Bulgarian: изкоп (bg) m (izkop)
• Finnish: kuoppa (fi)
• German: Ausschachtung f

• Ido: kavajo (io)
• Russian: око́п (ru) m (okóp)

material dug out in making a channel or cavity

• Finnish: kaivuujäte

• German: Aushub (de) m

archaeological excavation

• Bulgarian: разкопки (bg) pl (razkopki)
• Catalan: excavació f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 挖掘 (zh) (wājué), 發掘 (zh), 发掘 (zh) (fājué)

• Dutch: opgraving (nl) f
• Finnish: kaivaus
• French: fouille (fr) f
• Georgian: გათხრა (gatxra), გათხრები (gatxrebi)
• German: Ausgrabung (de) f

• Greek: ανασκαφή (el) f (anaskafí)
• Italian: scavo (it) m
• Japanese: 発掘 (ja) (はっくつ, hakkutsu)
• Latin: excavatio f
• Portuguese: escavação (pt) f
• Russian: раско́пки (ru) f pl (raskópki)
• Spanish: excavación (es) f
• Swedish: utgrävning c

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French

Noun

excavation f (plural excavations)

1. excavation

Further reading

• “excavation” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).