A heavy machine with a large bucket on a movable arm used to dig and move earth and rock, or a person who digs things up.
From Latin 'excavare' (to hollow out), combining 'ex' (out) and 'cavare' (to hollow), which is also the root of 'cave' and 'cavity.'
Modern excavators are descended from steam shovels of the 1800s, but the most famous 'excavators' are archaeologists—the tool and profession share the same root concept of revealing what's buried.
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