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Excavate vs Delve - What's the difference?

excavate | delve |

As verbs the difference between excavate and delve

is that excavate is to make a hole in (something); to hollow while delve is to dig the ground, especially with a shovel.

As nouns the difference between excavate and delve

is that excavate is any member of a major grouping of unicellular eukaryotes, of the clade Excavata while delve is a pit or den.

excavate

English

Etymology 1

Known since 1599, from (etyl) .

Verb

(en-verb)
  • To make a hole in (something); to hollow.
  • To remove part of (something) by scooping or digging it out.
  • To uncover (something) by removing its covering.
    • Related terms
    * excavation * excavator

    Etymology 2

    Noun

    (wikipedia excavate) (en noun)
  • (zoology) Any member of a major grouping of unicellular eukaryotes, of the clade Excavata.

    • References

    * (EtymOnLine) ----

    delve

    English

    Verb

  • To dig the ground, especially with a shovel.
  • * 1381 , John Ball
    • When Adam dalf and Eve span, / Who was then a gentleman?
  • * Dryden
    • Delve of convenient depth your thrashing floor.
  • *
    • I got a spade from the tool-house, and began to delve with all my might - it scraped the coffin; I fell to work with my hands; the wood commenced cracking about the screws; I was on the point of attaining my object, when it seemed that I heard a sigh from some one above, close at the edge of the grave, and bending down.
  • (ambitransitive) To search thoroughly and carefully for information, research, dig into, penetrate, fathom, trace out
  • * 1609-11 , Shakespeare, Cymbeline, King of Britain
    • I cannot delve him to the root.
  • * 1943 , Emile C. Tepperman, Calling Justice, Inc.!
    • She was intensely eager to delve into the mystery of Mr. Joplin and his brief case.
  • (ambitransitive) To dig, to excavate.
  • * ca. 1260 , Jacobus de Voragine, The Golden Legend
    • And then they made an oratory behind the altar, and would have dolven for to have laid the body in that oratory ...
  • * 1891 , , The White Company , chapter IV
    • Let him take off his plates and delve' himself, if ' delving must be done.

    Synonyms

    * (to dig the ground) dig * (to search thoroughly) investigate, research

    Derived terms

    * delver * indelve

    Related terms

    * dolven

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A pit or den.
  • * 1590 , Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene , III.iii:
    • the wise Merlin whylome wont (they say) / To make his wonne, low vnderneath the ground, / In a deepe delue , farre from the vew of day [...].

    Anagrams

    * ----