Archaeological Excavation Terms

noun a place where digging is carried out, especially for archaeological excavation

• The archaeologists discovered ancient diggings in the remote desert.
• We stumbled upon some old diggings while exploring the woods.
• Let's check out those diggings over there, they might have some cool stuff.
• His constant diggings into my personal life are starting to annoy me.

noun a piece of news published by a newspaper or broadcast by a television or radio station before any of its competitors

verb to lift or gather something with a scoop

• The journalist was able to get the scoop on the latest political scandal.
• Did you hear the scoop about the new restaurant opening up downtown?
• I'll give you the inside scoop on what really happened at the party.
• She scooped up all the awards at the film festival.

noun a long, narrow part or section forming the handle of a tool or the body of a spear or arrow

verb to push or hit something with a long, narrow object

• The mechanical engineer designed a new shaft for the industrial machine.
• Make sure you oil the shaft on the garage door so it doesn't squeak.
• I can't believe he got shafted out of his promotion again.
• She felt like she was at the bottom of a deep shaft with no way out.

noun a place or location, especially one with a particular significance or use

verb to locate or position in a particular place

• The construction crew is currently working on the site for the new office building.
• Let's meet at the site of the concert tomorrow.
• I heard there's a cool new skateboarding site downtown.
• The artist carefully chose the site for his latest sculpture to maximize its impact.

noun the branch of soil science dealing with the study of soils in relation to crops or plants

• Pedology is the scientific study of soils in relation to plants.
• My friend is majoring in pedology, which is all about studying soil.
• I never thought I'd find pedology so fascinating!
• Just as pedology examines the foundation of plants, we must also examine the roots of our beliefs.