n.1 a person who seeks and collects discarded items.
2 an animal, esp. a beetle, feeding on carrion, refuse, etc.
3 Brit. archaic a person employed to clean the streets etc.
Derivatives:
scavengery n.
Etymology: ME scavager f. AF scawager f. scawage f. ONF escauwer inspect f. Flem. scauwen, rel. to SHOW: for -n- cf. MESSENGER