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   excavate

   /ˈɛkskəveɪt/

   verb

   • 1. make (a hole or channel) by digging: "the cheapest way of doing this was to excavate a long trench" Similar digdig outhollow outscoop outgougecut outboreburrowtunnelsinkquarrymine
   • ▪ dig out material from (the ground): "the ground was largely excavated by hand"
   • ▪ extract (material) from the ground by digging: "a large amount of gravel would be excavated to form the channel"
   • 2. remove earth carefully from (an area) in order to find buried remains: "the site was excavated in 1975"
   • ▪ reveal or extract (buried remains) while excavating an area: "clothing and weapons were excavated from the burial site" Similar unearthdig upbring out of the groundbring to the surfaceuncoverrevealdisinterexhumerare:unbury

   Word Origin late 16th century: from Latin excavat- ‘hollowed out’, from the verb excavare, from ex- ‘out’ + cavare ‘make or become hollow’ (from cavus ‘hollow’).

   Scrabble Points: 20

   • E

     1

   • X

     8

   • C

     3

   • A

     1

   • V

     4

   • A

     1

   • T

     1

   • E

     1

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