scavenger

[skav-in-jer]

noun

1. an animal or other organism that feeds on dead organic matter.

2. a person who searches through and collects items from discarded material.

3. a street cleaner.

4. Chemistry.,  a chemical that consumes or renders inactive the impurities in a mixture.

scavenger

/ ˈskævɪndʒə /

noun

1. a person who collects things discarded by others

2. any animal that feeds on decaying organic matter, esp on refuse

3. a substance added to a chemical reaction or mixture to counteract the effect of impurities

4. a person employed to clean the streets

scavenger

1. An animal that feeds on dead organisms, especially a carnivorous animal that eats dead animals rather than or in addition to hunting live prey. Vultures, hyenas, and wolves are scavengers.

Other Word Forms

• scavengery noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of scavenger¹

1520–30; earlier scavager < Anglo-French scawageour, equivalent to ( e ) scawage inspection ( escaw ( er ) to inspect < Middle Dutch schauwen to look at (cognate with show ) + -age -age ) + -eour -or ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of scavenger¹

C16: from Anglo-Norman scawager, from Old Norman French escauwage examination, from escauwer to scrutinize, of Germanic origin; related to Flemish scauwen

Example Sentences

Those who complete the mini scavenger hunt will be given a free gift at Paper Plant, which Niimura is keeping a secret.

From Los Angeles Times

It sat vacant for over 20 years, while animal and human scavengers ransacked the ten-acre site and claimed it for their own, before it was rescued in the 1990s by architectural preservationists.

From Salon

The young adult rom-com follows Avery Blackwell, a rising college freshman who postpones her plans to attend Columbia after a note from her late mother sends her on a scavenger hunt in England.

From Los Angeles Times

Watching her execute another step in the scavenger hunt she’s devised for him is like seeing “The Rules” reimagined by Rube Goldberg.

From Salon

In the hour before Pippi’s party, children scoured the room on a scavenger hunt to find nine Pippis, donning disguises from a Dodgers jersey to a 1920s flapper dress.

From Los Angeles Times