scavatore

Scavatore is an Italian noun derived from scavare, meaning to dig. It denotes a person who digs, especially a manual laborer involved in digging earth, soil, rock, trenches, or foundations. In mining or construction, a scavatore might be a laborer, trench digger, or digger, but not the equipment itself. For the excavating machine, the standard term is escavatore, which refers to the excavator vehicle or hydraulic excavator.

The term is used across contexts such as construction, agriculture, and other labor-intensive settings when referring to the active agent performing digging work. The feminine form is scavatatrice, formed according to typical Italian patterns for agent nouns ending in -atore.

Additionally, scavatore can appear as a surname in Italian-speaking regions, though it is relatively uncommon.

In English-language references, scavatore is typically translated as "digger" or "excavator" depending on context. See also escavatore for the machine, and related terms describing digging, mining, or excavation.