unearthv.
/(ˌ)ʌnˈəːθ/, U.S. /ˌənˈərθ/ 1. in extended use.1841 C. J. Lever Charles O'Malley cxii, in Dublin Univ. Mag. Oct. 415/2 Oh, it's you, is it?—at last! so I've unearthed you, have I?
a. transitive. To dig out of the earth, to exhume; to disclose by the removal of earth.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > place > removal or displacement > extraction > extract [verb (transitive)] > dig out or up
delvec1000
upgravea1340
undelve1340
grubc1374
to dig upc1400
to dig outa1425
unearthc1450
sprittle1585
effode1657
to cast up1660
exhume1783
moot1823
excavate1848
lift1883
spud1886
pig-root1890
society > occupation and work > industry > earth-moving, etc. > [verb (transitive)] > dig (hole, etc.) > dig up (object)
upgravea1340
digc1350
to dig upc1400
to dig outa1425
unearthc1450
holk1554
moil1581
sprittle1585
effodicate1599
moot1610
effode1657
to cast up1660
to rough out1834
exter1835
excavate1848
crow1853
stub1927
c1450 Mirour Saluacioun (Roxb.) 7 When he his fadirs body efter deth vnherthid.
1626 T. Hawkins tr. N. Caussin Holy Court I. 67 As Diamonds buryed in a Dunghill, which if once you vn-earth,..will set the sunne before your eyes.
1815 W. Wordsworth Simon Lee (rev. ed.) in Poems II. 122 I chanced to see This Old Man doing all he could To unearth the root of an old tree.
a1845 R. H. Barham Knight & Lady in Ingoldsby Legends (1847) 3rd Ser. 278 His cane,..which he used..when unearthing his worms and his grubs.
1877 T. H. Huxley Physiography 209 When the ruins were first unearthed, the upper floor stood much higher.
b. To force out of a hole or burrow.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > going or coming out > letting or sending out > let or send out [verb (transitive)] > expel > from a lair, nest, or hole
unnestlec1450
unnest?1533
unkennel1565
unharbour1575
unden1598
unharborough1611
bolt1615
unearth1622
unburrow1860
1622 J. Mabbe tr. M. Alemán Rogue i. 48 Hee was jealous, that the Foxe was now vn-earthed.
1730 J. Thomson Autumn in Seasons 148 The sly destroyer of the flock..from his craggy winding haunts unearth'd.
1817 W. Scott Rob Roy I. xii. 290 We will join the rest..and see their luck at unearthing the badger.
1848 H. H. Wilson Hist. Brit. India 1805–35 III. i. 39 One man..dug a hole in the ground deep enough to give him shelter,..[but] he was speedily unearthed.
c. To free from, to clear by removal of, earth.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > condition of being open or not closed > open [verb (transitive)] > open by freeing of obstruction > by earth
unearth1656
1656 W. Davenant Siege of Rhodes 27 Away! unchain the streets, unearth the Ports: Pull down each Barracade.
2. figurative. To bring to light; to disclose, reveal, discover, etc. (Frequently from c1860.)
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > endeavour > searching or seeking > finding or discovery > find or discover [verb (transitive)] > by searching or tracking down > and bring to light
to search outc1425
to hunt out1576
unrip?1576
to ferret out1577
to fetch up1608
fish1632
prog1655
rummage1797
rout1814
exhume1819
excavate1840
ferret up1847
unearth1863
fossick?1870
exhumate1881
1820 Ld. Byron Blues ii Scamp. They have merit, I own... Ink. Then why not unearth it in one of your lectures?
1863 C. C. Clarke Shakespeare-characters xii. 308 You may trust a woman to unearth a plot.
1883 R. L. Stevenson Silverado Squatters 114 What would I not have given to unearth a letter?
3. figurative. To free from earthly qualities.
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > existence > materiality > immateriality > immaterial [verb (transitive)] > render immaterial
rarefy1600
immaterializea1711
unearth1765
unsense1895
dematerialize1899
1765 J. Brown Christian Jrnl. 286 O to be unearthed, unselfed, that I may be like him!
Derivatives
unˈearthed adj.1
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > industry > earth-moving, etc. > [adjective] > dug or excavated
wroughtOE
underdolven1382
holkedc1420
cast1487
mineda1500
pioneda1616
uneartheda1625
delved1673
disentombed1871
dugout1886
the world > space > place > removal or displacement > extraction > [adjective] > removed or dug from the ground
upgravena1340
uneartheda1625
mooted1650
the world > animals > by habitat > [adjective] > terrestrial > in or under the ground > forced out of hole or burrow
unearthed1870
a1625 W. Shakespeare & J. Fletcher Two Noble Kinsmen (1634) v. i. 51 Thou mighty one,..whose havocke in vaste Feild Vnearthed skulls proclaime. View more context for this quotation
1870 W. Morris Earthly Paradise: Pt. IV 21 An unearthed blind mole..Was wandering there.
unˈearthing n. and adj.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > endeavour > searching or seeking > finding or discovery > [noun] > finding and bringing to light
excavation1864
unearthing1876
1876 H. R. F. Bourne Life J. Locke II. xv. 527 To invent,..with much..material of his own unearthing, the art of logic.
1897 19th Cent. Aug. 276 I got to regard a resurrection man as..an unearthly because unearthing demon.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1921; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
<
v.c1450