excavev.
/ɛksˈkeɪv/ rare. † a. transitive. To scoop or hollow out. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > shape > unevenness > condition or fact of receding > hollowness > make hollow [verb (transitive)]
holec1000
mine?a1425
hollowc1450
cave?1541
raven1560
excave1578
excavate1599
exconcavate1599
1578 J. Banister Hist. Man i. f. 1v (margin) Some bones are smal, but notably excaued, as of the fingers.
1623–6 in H. Cockeram Eng. Dict.
b. absol. To carry on excavations. rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > relative time > the past > history or knowledge about the past > history [verb (intransitive)] > study or practise archaeology
dig1740
archaeologize1874
excave1884
trial trench1947
excavate1957
1884 Trans. Victoria Inst. 243 In some of which sites we have been allowed to excave.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1894; most recently modified version published online September 2018).
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