[scav.en.ger] n [alter. of earlier scavager, fr. ME skawager customs collector, fr. skawage customs, fr. ONF escauwage inspection, fr. escauwer to inspect, of Gmc origin; akin to OE sceawian to look at--more at show] (1530) 1 chiefly Brit: a person employed to remove dirt and refuse from streets
2: one that scavenges: as a: a garbage collector b: a junk collector c: a chemically active substance acting to make innocuous or remove an undesirable substance
3: an organism that feeds habitually on refuse or carrion