The act of digging up a dead body or remains from the ground, usually for legal or scientific investigation.
From 'exhume,' combining Latin 'ex-' (out of) and 'humus' (ground, earth). The word gained prominence in the 1800s as forensic science developed and legal systems needed vocabulary for investigating buried remains.
The prefix 'ex-' means 'out,' and 'humus' means 'earth'—so exhumation is literally 'taking out of the earth.' The opposite word 'inhumation' means the original burial, so these words describe the opening and closing ceremonies of death in a legal sense.
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