excavation
English
Etymology
From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Latin excavātiō (“a hollowing out”), from excavō (“I hollow out”), from ex + cavō (“I hollow out”) < cavus (“hollow”) < (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Proto-Indo-European *keu- (“vault, hole”)
Pronunciation
- Rhymes: -eɪʃən
Noun
excavation (countable and uncountable, plural excavations)
- (uncountable) The act of excavating, or of making hollow, by cutting, scooping, or digging out a part of a solid mass.
- (countable) A cavity formed by cutting, digging, or scooping.
- (countable) An uncovered cutting in the earth, in distinction from a covered cutting or tunnel.
- (countable) The material dug out in making a channel or cavity.
- (uncountable) Archaeological research that unearths buildings, tombs and objects of historical value.
- (countable) A site where an archaeological exploration is being carried out.
Translations
act of excavating, or of making hollow
|
cavity formed by cutting, digging, or scooping
uncovered cutting in the earth, in distinction from a covered cutting or tunnel
material dug out in making a channel or cavity
|
archaeological excavation
|
French
Pronunciation
Audio: (file)
Noun
excavation f (plural excavations)
Further reading
- “excavation”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.