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scavenge

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(skav′inj)

transitive verb scavenged, scavenging

to clean up (streets, alleys, etc.); remove rubbish, dirt, or garbage from
to salvage (usable goods) by rummaging through refuse or discards
to remove burned gases from (the cylinder of an internal-combustion engine)
Metallurgy to clean (molten metal) by using a substance that will combine chemically with the impurities present

Origin: back-form. < scavenger

intransitive verb

to act as a scavenger
to look for food

See scavenge in American Heritage Dictionary 4

verb scav·enged, scav·eng·ing, scav·eng·es

verb, transitive

To search through for salvageable material: scavenged the garbage cans for food scraps.
To collect and remove refuse from: The streets are periodically scavenged.
To collect (salvageable material) by searching.
a. To expel (exhaust gases) from a cylinder of an internal-combustion engine.
b. To expel exhaust gases from (such a cylinder).
Metallurgy To clean (molten metal) by chemically removing impurities.

verb, intransitive

To search through refuse for useful material.
To feed on dead or decaying matter.

Origin:

Origin: Back-formation from scavenger

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