excavation
gb/ˌɛkskəvˈeɪʃən/ us/ˌɛkskəvˈeɪʃən/
B2
English
~ 8300
kiásás, feltárás, földmunka, munkagödör, kiásott gödör, ásatás, régészeti feltárás
NOUN
B2
1
Usage pattern:
the excavation of [something]
Excavation of the tunnel took more than two years.
Az alagút kiásása több mint két évig tartott.
The project was delayed because unexpected pipes were found during excavation.
A projekt csúszott, mert a földmunka során váratlanul csövekre bukkantak.
Strict safety rules apply to all excavation work on the construction site.
Heavy rain forced the team to stop excavation for several days.
The excavation of the foundation will begin next week.
Learner examples
Excavation of the new road started last month.
Az új út földmunkái a múlt hónapban kezdődtek.
The company stopped excavation when they hit rock.
A cég leállította az ásást, amikor sziklába ütköztek.
Excavation work is loud and dirty.
We watched the excavation of a big hole for the new building.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use *excavation* as a verb (e.g., *They excavation the ground*). The correct verb is *excavate* (e.g., *They excavate the ground*), and *excavation* is the noun for the activity.
Meaning
the act of digging something out
Collocations
excavation work
|excavation of the site
|during excavation
|excavation equipment
|deep excavation
|safety during excavation
Synonyms
digging (More general and informal; used for any kind of digging, not just formal or large-scale work.)
Antonyms
backfilling (Refers to putting soil or material back into a hole after excavation, the opposite stage of the same type of work.)
Themes
construction
|science
|technology
|work
Definition
The work of taking earth or rock out of the ground, usually for building or for studying old objects.
The process or activity of removing earth, rock, or other material from the ground, especially as part of building, mining, or archaeological work.
NOUN
B2
2
munkagödör
B2
Usage pattern:
an excavation in [the ground / the street / the field]
She tripped and almost fell into the excavation beside the road.
Megbotlott, és majdnem beleesett az út melletti munkagödörbe.
The engineers inspected the excavation before pouring the concrete.
A mérnökök a beton beöntése előtt ellenőrizték a munkagödröt.
Warning signs were placed around the excavation to keep pedestrians away.
Heavy rain caused part of the excavation to collapse.
Children are not allowed to play near the excavation.
Learner examples
There is a big excavation in front of our house.
Nagy munkagödör van a házunk előtt.
They covered the excavation with wooden boards.
Deszkákkal lefedték a munkagödröt.
The worker stood at the edge of the excavation.
Do not park next to the excavation.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse *excavation* (a man-made hole) with *cave* or *tunnel*, which are natural or enclosed spaces and not usually called *excavations* in everyday speech.
Meaning
a dug-out hole or pit
Collocations
a deep excavation
|an excavation in the road
|fall into an excavation
|cover the excavation
|fence off the excavation
Synonyms
pit (A short, common word for a hole in the ground; does not always imply recent digging.)
Antonyms
mound (A raised pile of earth or stones, the opposite physical shape of a dug-out hole.)
Themes
construction
|daily life
|core_vocabulary
Definition
A hole or open space in the ground that people made by taking the earth away.
A hole, pit, or open area in the ground that has been created by digging or removing earth.
NOUN
C1
TECHNICAL
3
ásatás
B2
Usage pattern:
an excavation at [a place]
The excavation revealed the foundations of a Roman villa.
Az ásatás feltárta egy római villa alapjait.
She spent two summers working on an excavation in Egypt.
Két nyarat töltött egy egyiptomi ásatáson.
New artifacts were discovered during an excavation near the ancient city walls.
Funding for the excavation was provided by the national museum.
The excavation is expected to continue through the end of the year.
Learner examples
The team began an excavation at the old temple.
A csapat ásatásba kezdett a régi templomnál.
Students joined an excavation to learn about archaeology.
A diákok csatlakoztak egy ásatáshoz, hogy megismerkedjenek a régészettel.
Many bones were found in the excavation.
The report describes the results of the excavation.
Common mistake:
Learners may not realize that in archaeology, an *excavation* is often a long, organized project, not just a simple hole. It includes planning, recording, and the careful digging itself.
Meaning
archaeological digging project or site
Collocations
archaeological excavation
|excavation site
|lead an excavation
|join an excavation
|rescue excavation
|ongoing excavation
Synonyms
archaeological dig (More informal phrase used especially in media and everyday speech to describe the same kind of project.)
Antonyms
preservation (Focuses on protecting remains without digging them up, which can be seen as the opposite approach to excavation in archaeology.)
Themes
history
|science
|culture
|education
Definition
A special digging project where experts carefully remove earth to find and study old things from past people.
A planned archaeological project or site where specialists carefully dig in order to uncover and study remains of past human activity.
Grammar
Dictionary form
excavation
IPA
GB/ˌɛkskəvˈeɪʃən/
US/ˌɛkskəvˈeɪʃən/
Syllables & stress
ex - cav - a - tion (4 syllables)
Stress on 3rd syllable (a)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: excavation
- Plural: excavation, excavations
Word family
Forms
excavations
noun
Core family
excavate
verb
excavator
noun
Negative and opposite forms
unexcavated
adjective
Expressions
excavation site
1/ˌɛkskəvˈeɪʃən sˈaɪt/
fixed phrase
place where digging is happening
The place or area where people are doing excavation work.
Examples
- Visitors must wear a hard hat at the excavation site.
- Researchers mapped the entire excavation site before digging began.
- The road near the excavation site will be closed for two weeks.
under excavation
1/ˈʌndɚ ˌɛkskəvˈeɪʃən/
fixed phrase
currently being excavated
Being worked on by people who are removing earth, rock, or old objects from the ground.
Examples
- The site is currently under excavation by a team of archaeologists.
- Part of the riverbank is under excavation for a new bridge.
- The old factory grounds are under excavation as part of the cleanup project.
archaeological excavation
1/ˌɑɹkiəlˈɑd͡ʒɪkəl ˌɛkskəvˈeɪʃən/
fixed phrase
excavation done for archaeology
Excavation that is done by archaeologists to find and study old buildings, objects, and human remains.
Examples
- The area has been the focus of archaeological excavation for more than a decade.
- Funding for archaeological excavation is often limited and highly competitive.
- An archaeological excavation uncovered thousands of pottery fragments.
archaeological excavation
2/ˌɑɹkiəlˈɑd͡ʒɪkəl ˌɛkskəvˈeɪʃən/
fixed phrase
technical
formal archaeological digging project
A formal, usually long-term archaeological project where experts slowly and carefully remove earth to uncover and record old objects and buildings.
Examples
- The archaeological excavation revealed several well-preserved tombs.
- Funding for the archaeological excavation will continue for another three years.