scavenger

The story

1. Old Dutch · derived fromscauwōn“to inspect, to examinate, to look at”
2. Old French · derived from*scavage
3. Old Northern French · derived from*scawage
4. Anglo-Norman · derived fromscawageour“one who had to do with scavage, inspector, tax collector”
5. Middle English · inherited fromscavager
6. English todayscavenger

Originally from Middle English scavager, from Anglo-Norman scawageour (“one who had to do with scavage, inspector, tax collector”), from Old Northern French *scawage, escauwage (“scavage”), Old French *scavage, escavage, alteration of escauvinghe (compare Medieval Latin scewinga, sceawinga), from Old Dutch scauwōn (“to inspect, to examinate, to look at”). Usually reinterpreted/re-analysed today as scavenge (which was originally a backformation from this word) + -er. Compare Old English sċēawung (“a showing, spectacle, examination, inspection, toll on exposure of goods”) and Dutch schouwing (“inspection”). More at show. See also messenger and passenger.