Scavenge
/ˈskæv.ɪndʒ/noun
To search for and collect useful discarded items or food; to obtain by searching among refuse or leftovers.
Did you know?Scavenge is historically tied to a medieval official who inspected goods and took dues, so the word’s oldest vibe is less “trash picker” and more “someone with the right to seize.”
Etymological Timeline
Late Middle English
English
scavenge
“to inspect or take dues from goods; later, to gather from refuse”
Middle English
English
scawage / scavage
“an inspection duty or toll on goods”
Anglo-French
AF
escauage / scavage
“a fee or tax on goods; the office or act of inspecting merchandise”
Old French
OF
escauver / escaver
“to inspect, examine, or search through”
Germanic
WGmc
*skab- / *skaf-
“to scrape, scratch, or cut; source of the idea of scraping over goods”
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*skabʰ-
“to scratch, scrape”