Scavenger meaning
An example of a scavenger is a vulture.
An example of a scavenger is someone who takes usable items from dumpsters.
Origin of scavenger
- Alteration of Middle English scauager, schavager official charged with street maintenance from Anglo-Norman scawager toll collector from scawage a tax on the goods of foreign merchants from Flemish scauwen to look at, show
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
- From Middle English scavager, from Old French scawageour (“one who had to do with scavage, inspector, tax collector"), from Old French *scawage, *scavage, escavage, escauwage (“scavage"), alteration of escauvinghe (compare also Medieval Latin scewinga, sceawinga), from Middle English schewing (“inspection, examination"), from Old English scÄ“awung (“reconnoitering, surveying, inspection, examination, scrutiny"), equivalent to showing.
From Wiktionary