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Scavenger

noun, verb

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    Someone who scavenges, especially one who searches through rubbish for food or useful things.

    "garbage scavenger"

  2. 2
    any animal that feeds on refuse and other decaying organic matter wordnet
  3. 3
    An animal that feeds on decaying matter such as carrion.

    "Vultures are natural scavengers."

  4. 4
    someone who collects things that have been discarded by others wordnet
  5. 5
    A street sweeper. Ireland, UK, obsolete
Show 3 more definitions
  1. 6
    a chemical agent that is added to a chemical mixture to counteract the effects of impurities wordnet
  2. 7
    A child employed to pick up loose cotton from the floor in a cotton mill. Ireland, UK, historical
  3. 8
    A substance used to remove impurities from the air or from a solution.
Verb
  1. 1
    To scavenge. archaic
  2. 2
    To clean the rubbish from a street, etc. archaic

Etymology

Etymology 1

Originally from Middle English scavager, from Anglo-Norman scawageour (“one who had to do with scavage, inspector, tax collector”), from Old Northern French *scawage, escauwage (“scavage”), Old French *scavage, escavage, alteration of escauvinghe (compare Medieval Latin scewinga, sceawinga), from Old Dutch scauwōn (“to inspect, to examinate, to look at”). Usually reinterpreted/re-analysed today as scavenge (which was originally a backformation from this word) + -er. Compare Old English sċēawung (“a showing, spectacle, examination, inspection, toll on exposure of goods”) and Dutch schouwing (“inspection”). More at show.

Etymology 2

Originally from Middle English scavager, from Anglo-Norman scawageour (“one who had to do with scavage, inspector, tax collector”), from Old Northern French *scawage, escauwage (“scavage”), Old French *scavage, escavage, alteration of escauvinghe (compare Medieval Latin scewinga, sceawinga), from Old Dutch scauwōn (“to inspect, to examinate, to look at”). Usually reinterpreted/re-analysed today as scavenge (which was originally a backformation from this word) + -er. Compare Old English sċēawung (“a showing, spectacle, examination, inspection, toll on exposure of goods”) and Dutch schouwing (“inspection”). More at show.

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