scavenger
English · Thesaurus
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scavenger
- /ˈskæv.ən.d͡ʒə(ɹ)/ UK
Where it comes from
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. See also messenger and passenger.
noun scavengers · skavenger
- Someone who scavenges, especially one who searches through rubbish for food or useful things. garbage scavenger
- An animal that feeds on decaying matter such as carrion. Vultures are natural scavengers.
- A street sweeper.
- A child employed to pick up loose cotton from the floor in a cotton mill.
- A substance used to remove impurities from the air or from a solution.
verb scavengers · scavengering · scavengered · skavenger
- To scavenge.
- To clean the rubbish from a street, etc.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: pack rat, magpie, trap, mousetrap, pitfall, snare, park, setup, trapper, ambush, treasury, treasure, benthic, trick, scavager, scrapper
Translations
Every language
noun Someone who scavenges, especially one who searches through rubbish for food or useful things
| Español | reciclador de base, pepenador, cartonero, excavador, buzo |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 拾荒者 Shíhuāngzhě |
| Português | catador |
| Deutsch | Abfalldurchstöberer, Mülldurchstöberer |
| Italiano | razzolatore, spazzino |
| Русский | помо́ешник pomóješnik |
| العربية | نَبَّاش nabbāš, قَمَّام qammām |
noun animal feeding on decaying matter
| Español | carroñero, carroñera |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 청소 동물 cheongso dongmul |
| Português | necrófago, carniceiro |
| Français | animal nécrophage, charognard |
| Deutsch | Aasfresser |
| Italiano | necrofago, saprofago |
| Ελληνικά | πτωματοφάγο ptomatofágo |
| Русский | па́дальщик pádalʹščik |
| עברית | אוכל נבלות |
noun substance to remove impurities
| Deutsch | Spülmittel |
|---|---|
| Русский | поглоти́тель poglotítelʹ |
Talk about this word "scavenger." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/scavenger. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. scavenger. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/scavenger "scavenger." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/scavenger.Cite this
@misc{scavenger_2026,
title = {scavenger},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/scavenger},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
