(1):

(v. t.) To dig out and remove, as earth.

(2):

(v. t.) To hollow out; to form cavity or hole in; to make hollow by cutting, scooping, or digging; as, to excavate a ball; to excavate the earth.

(3):

(v. t.) To form by hollowing; to shape, as a cavity, or anything that is hollow; as, to excavate a canoe, a cellar, a channel.