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Glite Dictionary
to exhume

to exhume

34 8.1
To dig up a body from the ground for checking or burying again
  • verb
  • /ɪɡˈzjum/
  • Specialized
translation icon : exhumar
  • After years of speculation, they decided to exhume the body to resolve the mystery surrounding the case.
  • exhume bodies
  • exhume the remains
  • exhume bones

So some of them, the families who decided to repatriate, they had, we had to exhume their bodies and then send them back to the US.

Examples

  • So some of them, the families who decided to repatriate, they had, we had to exhume their bodies and then send them back to the US.

    The Great War

  • Was he supposed to exhume his father's body and confess his sins?

    Fiction book (1998)

  • Is he and his daughter on the road going to find the mother and exhume the mother and give her a proper burial?

  • Stories of people going to exhume bodies for the bones are also widespread.

    Academic text (2010)

  • We would but when we went to exhume Jessica's body it was gone.

    Rule of Three (2008)

  • And I'd like your permission to exhume the body, if one exists, and have it removed for an autopsy.

    The Wicker Man (2006)

  • We just didn't have time to exhume him for a proper burial.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • If a white burial ground was unearthed, the church was called in to exhume the graves.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • Paul, we're getting a court order to exhume Marion Wilkins' body.

    The Vampire (1957)

  • Somehow he's managed to have Patrick's body exhumed and a toxicology test performed.

    Fascination (2004)

Synonyms

to dig up
vsto exhume
139 2.0

To take something out of the ground by digging

is specifically about removing buried human remains for examination or reburial
to excavate
vsto exhume
28 5.8

To dig in the ground to find or remove old objects, often by archaeologists

is narrower, referring to recovering buried human remains for exam or reburial
to dig out
vsto exhume
21 3.4

Find and take out something that is hidden or forgotten

is focused on removing buried human remains for legal or reburial purposes
to unearth
vsto exhume
18 4.2

To dig up something buried in the ground

is used mainly for removing buried human remains for investigation or reburial
to exhume the body
vsto exhume
  • Specialized
5 8.6

Dig up a buried body to examine it

is the general act of removing buried remains for examination or reburial
to disinter
vsto exhume
1 9.5

To dig up a buried body or object to examine it

is broader and can mean removing other buried things not only remains

Phrasal Verbs

to exhume the body
  • Specialized
5 8.6

Dig up a buried body to examine it

How Formal

to disinter
1 9.5
to exhume
  • Specialized
34 8.1
to unearth
18 4.2
to dig up
139 2.0

Surface Forms

exhume infinitive
exhumed past
exhumed past participle
exhuming present participle
exhumes third person singular

Morphology

exhume = humus (semi-transparent) = ex + hume

The structure ex- + hume ('ground') yields the literal meaning 'out of the ground', but the root 'hume' is not a productive or standalone English word, so learners may not infer the sense easily.

Etymology

The word exhume comes from the Latin parts ex- 'out' and humus 'ground', like the English word humus for garden soil. So, to exhume is to 'take out of the ground', usually to dig up a buried body.