Plural of excavator; machines or people that dig out and remove earth or materials from the ground.
From 'excavate' + '-or' (one who does the action). The plural 'excavators' emerged in the 19th century as both steam-powered and electric digging machines were invented.
Today's yellow excavators at construction sites would blow the minds of people from 200 years ago—the word stayed the same, but what 'excavators' are changed from pure human muscle to tons of mechanical power.
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