exhumation

IPA/ˌekshjuːˈmeɪʃn/
KK[ɛkshjˌumˈeʃən]IPA/ˌekshjuːˈmeɪʃn/

exhumation — noun

  • exhumationsingular
  • exhumationsplural

1. the process of digging a buried body out of its grave, often for an official che

1.nounC1
Definition

the process of digging a buried body out of its grave, often for an official check or investigation

Example

Police ordered the exhumation of the body after new DNA evidence appeared.

exhumation of + body

Abigail reported on the exhumation of soldiers from the old battlefield.

Common collocations
  • order an exhumation
  • approve an exhumation
  • request exhumation
  • the exhumation of remains
  • a court-ordered exhumation
  • carry out an exhumation
Synonyms
  • disinterment

    A very formal legal or historical term for taking buried remains out of a grave

  • recovery

    Focuses more on bringing remains back than on opening the grave itself

  • excavation

    A broader digging word that is often used for sites or objects, not only bodies

Antonyms
  • burial

    The act of placing a body into the ground

  • interment

    A formal word for burying someone

Grammar Patterns

exhumation of + noun phrase

order an exhumation

approve an exhumation

Usage Note

Common in legal, police, and historical reporting, especially when a death needs to be checked again. It often appears with of before the body or remains being dug up.

Common Mistakes

The police exhumationed the body.
The police exhumed the body.
'Exhumation' is a noun, so use the verb 'exhume' for the action.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Exhumation is the most exact word when a buried body is taken out of a grave, often for legal, medical, or historical reasons. Disinterment is even more formal and is common in official notices, court documents, and church records. Excavation is much broader: archaeologists excavate tombs, roads, or buildings, so it does not automatically suggest human remains. Recovery focuses on bringing remains back, especially after war or disaster, and may include searching as well as removal. Unearthing is looser and can be used for bodies, objects, or even hidden information, so it sounds less technical than exhumation. If police reopen a death case, exhumation is the usual choice. If a museum team digs up an ancient site, excavation is more natural.

exhumation ↗disintermentexcavation ↗recovery ↗unearthing ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • exhumation order
  • exhumation request
  • exhumation permit
  • exhumation process

Adverbs

  • court-ordered exhumation
  • official exhumation
  • careful exhumation
  • planned exhumation

Phrases

  • order an exhumation
  • approve an exhumation
  • carry out an exhumation
  • request exhumation
  • witness an exhumation

Prepositions

  • exhumation of
  • exhumation from

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Exhumation comes from the verb exhume plus the noun-forming suffix -ation. Exhume goes back through French and Latin to a root meaning 'out of the ground', built from ex- meaning 'out' and humus meaning 'earth' or 'soil'. The word has kept that basic picture in English: something buried in the earth is brought back out, especially a dead body.