[scav.enge] vb scav.enged ; scav.eng.ing [back-formation fr. scavenger] vt (ca. 1644) 1 a (1): to remove (as dirt or refuse) from an area (2): to clean away dirt or refuse from: cleanse "~ a street" b: to feed on (carrion or refuse)
2. a: to remove (burned gases) from the cylinder of an internal combustion engine after a working stroke b: to remove (as an undesirable constituent) from a substance or region by chemical or physical means c: to clean and purify (molten metal) by taking up foreign elements in chemical union
3: to salvage from discarded or refuse material; also: to salvage usable material from ~ vi: to work or act as a scavenger