scavenger
scavenger Lexical Profile
scavenger Game Scores & Validity
• noun
An animal or organism that feeds on carrion, dead plant material, or refuse rather than hunting live prey.
"The turkey vulture is an efficient scavenger that plays a vital role in keeping the ecosystem clean."
A person who searches through discarded waste or abandoned items to find usable or salvageable material.
"A local scavenger found several antique brass fixtures among the debris at the demolition site."
A chemical substance added to a mixture or reaction to remove or deactivate unwanted impurities, such as oxygen or free radicals.
"Engineers add an oxygen scavenger to the boiler feedwater to prevent internal corrosion of the pipes."
Word Origin & Etymology
Derived from Middle English scavager, an official appointed to collect customs duties on imported goods (from Anglo-Norman scavage, 'toll on displayed goods') and later tasked with keeping streets clean. The common verb scavenge arose later as a back-formation from the noun.