cavar
/kaˈbaɾ/ · B1 · verb
to excavate, dig
⛏️ Latin cavare, to hollow out: same root as cave, cavity and excavate
From Latin cavus, hollow. Digging makes a cavity, and a big enough one becomes a cave. Excavate is just ex + cavar, to hollow out. Spanish keeps the plain verb: cavar un hoyo, to dig a hole.