Scavenger
/ˈskæv.ɪn.dʒər/noun
A person or animal that feeds on refuse, dead matter, or waste.
Did you know?The word ultimately comes from Anglo-French *escawageour* / *scavageour*, a collector of *scavage* (a toll or duty), so its oldest sense was about taking from goods, not picking through garbage.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*skēp-
“to cut, scrape”
Old French
OF
escavenger
“to inspect or collect a toll/duty”
Anglo-French
AF
scavageour
“an official who collected scavage, a market or port duty”
Middle English
EN
scavenger
“a collector of scavage; later, one who removes refuse”
Modern English
EN
scavenger
“a person or animal that feeds on refuse, carrion, or dead organic matter”