ragpicker

American  

[rag-pik-er] / ˈrægˌpɪk ər /

noun

1. a person who picks up rags and other waste material from the streets, refuse heaps, etc., for a livelihood.

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Etymology

Origin of ragpicker

First recorded in 1855–60; rag ¹ + picker

Example Sentences

In the Ragpicker of Paris, a sort of honest Robert Macaire, written by Félix Pyat for Lemaitre, this extraordinary actor went through another transformation not less striking than some which had preceded it.

From Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science Volume 15, No. 89, May, 1875 by Various