excavare

Excavare is a Latin verb meaning to hollow out, to dig out, or to excavate. It denotes the act of removing earth to create a hollow space, such as a trench, pit, or cavity. The verb is regular and belongs to the first conjugation; its principal parts are excavare, excavavi, excavatus. The form is built from ex- meaning “out” and cavare, from cavus meaning “hollow,” reflecting its literal sense.

In Latin usage, excavare describes concrete actions such as digging a trench, excavating a foundation, or hollowing out a cavity in a material. It can also appear in a figurative sense to mean uncovering or bringing something to light by investigation or methodical digging through information.

The term has given rise to related words in Latin and the modern languages. The noun excavatio, from the same root, denotes the act or process of excavating. In English, the direct descendant is the verb excavate and the noun excavation, which retain the sense of removing earth to reveal or study something beneath the surface. The word is commonly used in archaeology, construction, and mining contexts, as well as in metaphorical expressions about uncovering details or truth through careful inquiry.