excavate

== English == === Etymology 1 === First attested in 1599, from Latin excavātus (“hollowed out”), perfect passive participle of excavō (“to hollow out”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from ex (“out”) + cavō (“to hollow out, pierce”), from cavus (“cave, hole”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix). Participial usage up until Early Modern English. ==== Pronunciation ==== IPA(key): /ˈɛk.skə.veɪt/ Hyphenation: ex‧ca‧va‧te ==== Verb ==== excavate (third-person singular simple present excavates, present participle excavating, simple past and past participle excavated) (transitive) To make a hole in (something); to hollow. (transitive) To remove part of (something) by scooping or digging it out. (transitive) To uncover (something) by digging. ===== Derived terms ===== ===== Related terms ===== excavation excavator ===== Translations ===== ==== Adjective ==== excavate (not comparable) (rare, as an adjective) Made hollow. (obsolete, as a participle) excavated, hollowed out === Etymology 2 === From a substantivization of Latin excavātus through the associated taxon's name (Excavata), see -ate (noun-forming suffix) and Etymology 1 for more. ==== Noun ==== excavate (plural excavates) (zoology) Any member of a major grouping of unicellular eukaryotes, of the clade Excavata. === References === Douglas Harper (2001–2026), “excavate”, in Online Etymology Dictionary. == Latin == === Verb === excavāte second-person plural present active imperative of excavō == Spanish == === Verb === excavate second-person singular voseo imperative of excavar combined with te