scavenge
scavenge Lexical Profile
scavenge Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To search for and collect anything usable from discarded waste or rubble.
"Local artists often scavenge scrap metal from old factories to create large-scale sculptures."
To feed on carrion, dead plant material, or refuse (of an animal).
"Vultures and hyenas play a vital ecological role as they scavenge across the savanna."
To expel exhaust gases from the cylinder of an internal-combustion engine, or to remove impurities or unwanted reactants from a chemical mixture.
"A specialized blower is used to scavenge residual exhaust gases from the two-stroke engine cylinder."
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Mid-17th-century back-formation from the noun 'scavenger', which derived from Middle English 'scawager' (an official who collected 'scawage', a customs toll on displayed goods, and was later tasked with keeping streets clean), from Anglo-French 'escauwer' (to inspect).