scavenger

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Archived revision by WingerBot (talk | contribs) as of 02:00, 12 July 2022.
Jump to navigation Jump to search

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

Originally from Middle English scavager, from Anglo-Norman scawageour (“one who had to do with scavage, inspector, tax collector”), from Lua error in Module:parameters at line 360: Parameter 2 should be a valid language, etymology language or family code; the value "ONF." is not valid. See WT:LOL, WT:LOL/E and WT:LOF., 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.

Pronunciation

  • Lua error in Module:parameters at line 360: Parameter 1 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value "UK" is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E. IPA(key): /ˈskæv.ən.d͡ʒə(ɹ)/
  • Audio (UK):(file)

Noun

scavenger (plural scavengers)

  1. Someone who scavenges, especially one who searches through rubbish for food or useful things.
  2. An animal that feeds on decaying matter such as carrion.
  3. (UK, obsolete) A street sweeper.
  4. (UK, historical) A child employed to pick up loose cotton from the floor in a cotton mill.
  5. (chemistry) A substance used to remove impurities from the air or from a solution.

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

scavenger (third-person singular simple present scavengers, present participle scavengering, simple past and past participle scavengered)

  1. (archaic) To scavenge.
  2. (archaic) To clean the rubbish from a street, etc.

Further reading

Retrieved from "https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=scavenger&oldid=67892409"