Etymology

excavate

ex·ca·va·te
E1X8C3A1V4A1T1E1

Today it means: To make a hole in (something); to hollow. Full definition →

Latin excavātus
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excavate · verb, adjective1

  1. Latin · borrowed fromexcavātus“hollowed out”
  2. English todayexcavate

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.

excavate · noun2

  1. Latin · derived fromexcavātus
  2. English todayexcavate

From a substantivization of Latin excavātus through the associated taxon's name (Excavata), see -ate (noun-forming suffix) and Etymology 1 for more.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.