/skav"inj/ , v. , scavenged, scavenging .
v.t.
1. to take or gather (something usable) from discarded material.
2. to cleanse of filth, as a street.
3. to expel burnt gases from (the cylinder of an internal-combustion engine).
4. Metall. to purify (molten metal) by introducing a substance that will combine chemically with impurities.
v.i.
5. to act as a scavenger.
6. (of an engine or cylinder) to become scavenged of burnt gases.
7. to search, esp. for food.
[ 1635-45; back formation from SCAVENGER ]