Meanings
plural scavengers · alternative skavenger
- IrelandUKobsoleteA street sweeper.
- chemistryA substance used to remove impurities from the air or from a solution.
present singular third person scavengers · participle present scavengering · participle past scavengered · past scavengered · alternative skavenger
- archaicTo scavenge.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounsomeone who collects things that have been discarded by others
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Old Dutchscauwōn“to inspect, to examinate, to look at”
- Old French*scavage
- Old Northern French*scawage
- Anglo-Normanscawageour“one who had to do with scavage, inspector, tax collector”
- Middle Englishscavager
- Englishscavenger
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.
More words from Middle English, Anglo-Norman, Old Northern French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic نَبَّاش, قَمَّام
- نَبَّاش (nabbāš)Someone who scavenges, especially one who searches through rubbish for food or useful things
- قَمَّام (qammām)Someone who scavenges, especially one who searches through rubbish for food or useful things
Bulgarian боклуджия, очистител
- боклуджия (bokludžija)Someone who scavenges, especially one who searches through rubbish for food or useful things
- очистител (očistitel)substance to remove impurities
Catalan carronyaire
- carronyaireanimal feeding on decaying matter
Chinese Mandarin 拾荒者
- 拾荒者 (Shíhuāngzhě)Someone who scavenges, especially one who searches through rubbish for food or useful things
Czech vybírač popelnic, mrchožrout
- vybírač popelnicSomeone who scavenges, especially one who searches through rubbish for food or useful things
- mrchožroutanimal feeding on decaying matter
Danish skralder
- skralderSomeone who scavenges, especially one who searches through rubbish for food or useful things
Dutch jutter, aaseter
- jutterSomeone who scavenges, especially one who searches through rubbish for food or useful things
- aaseteranimal feeding on decaying matter
Finnish jätteiden keräilijä, roskien keräilijä
- jätteiden keräilijäSomeone who scavenges, especially one who searches through rubbish for food or useful things
- roskien keräilijäSomeone who scavenges, especially one who searches through rubbish for food or useful things
- haaskaeläinanimal feeding on decaying matter
French animal nécrophage, charognard
- animal nécrophageanimal feeding on decaying matter
- charognardanimal feeding on decaying matter
German Abfalldurchstöberer, Mülldurchstöberer
- AbfalldurchstöbererSomeone who scavenges, especially one who searches through rubbish for food or useful things
- MülldurchstöbererSomeone who scavenges, especially one who searches through rubbish for food or useful things
- Aasfresseranimal feeding on decaying matter
- Spülmittelsubstance to remove impurities
Greek πτωματοφάγο
- πτωματοφάγο (ptomatofágo)animal feeding on decaying matter
Hebrew אוכל נבלות
- אוכל נבלותanimal feeding on decaying matter
Hungarian guberáló, dögevő
- guberálóSomeone who scavenges, especially one who searches through rubbish for food or useful things
- dögevőanimal feeding on decaying matter
Irish bailitheoir
- bailitheoirSomeone who scavenges, especially one who searches through rubbish for food or useful things
Italian razzolatore, spazzino
- razzolatoreSomeone who scavenges, especially one who searches through rubbish for food or useful things
- spazzinoSomeone who scavenges, especially one who searches through rubbish for food or useful things
- necrofagoanimal feeding on decaying matter
- saprofagoanimal feeding on decaying matter
Korean 청소 동물
- 청소 동물 (cheongso dongmul)animal feeding on decaying matter
Latin colacarius
- colacariusSomeone who scavenges, especially one who searches through rubbish for food or useful things
Māori hamuhamu
- hamuhamuSomeone who scavenges, especially one who searches through rubbish for food or useful things
Norwegian Bokmål åtseleter
- åtseleteranimal feeding on decaying matter
Polish złomiarz, padlinożerca
- złomiarzSomeone who scavenges, especially one who searches through rubbish for food or useful things
- padlinożercaanimal feeding on decaying matter
Portuguese catador, necrófago
- catadorSomeone who scavenges, especially one who searches through rubbish for food or useful things
- necrófagoanimal feeding on decaying matter
- carniceiroanimal feeding on decaying matter
Russian помо́ешник, па́дальщик
- помо́ешник (pomóješnik)Someone who scavenges, especially one who searches through rubbish for food or useful things
- па́дальщик (pádalʹščik)animal feeding on decaying matter
- поглоти́тель (poglotítelʹ)substance to remove impurities
Spanish reciclador de base, pepenador
- reciclador de baseSomeone who scavenges, especially one who searches through rubbish for food or useful things
- pepenadorSomeone who scavenges, especially one who searches through rubbish for food or useful things
- cartoneroSomeone who scavenges, especially one who searches through rubbish for food or useful things
- excavadorSomeone who scavenges, especially one who searches through rubbish for food or useful things
- buzoSomeone who scavenges, especially one who searches through rubbish for food or useful things
- carroñeroanimal feeding on decaying matter
- carroñeraanimal feeding on decaying matter
Swedish asätare
- asätareanimal feeding on decaying matter
Tagalog sasaid
- sasaidanimal feeding on decaying matter
Cite this entry
scavenger. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/scavenger
“scavenger.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/scavenger. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “scavenger,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/scavenger.
Source: scavenger on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.