Scrounge
/skraʊndʒ/noun
To obtain something by begging, borrowing, or collecting scraps.
Did you know?Scrounge is one of those gritty slang words whose exact origin is uncertain, but it appears in 19th-century English with a strong sense of grabbing food or supplies wherever you can find them.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*sker-
“to cut, scratch, or scrape”
Old English
OE
scrēopan / scrapian
“to scrape or scratch”
Early Modern English
English
scrunge / scrounge
“to scrape up, gather, or obtain by hustling”
19th Century
English
scrounge
“to beg, borrow, or collect by persistent effort”
Modern English
English
scrounge
“to obtain something with difficulty, often by depending on others”