scavenger

CEFRB2

/ˈskæv.ən.d͡ʒə(ɹ)/

noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    An animal that feeds on dead animals or unwanted material.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    A street sweeper.

Examples

  • I'm organizing a scavenger hunt for my son's thirteenth birthday party.

  • I'm on a scavenger hunt.

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. An animal that feeds on decaying matter such as carrion.

  2. Someone who scavenges, especially one who searches through rubbish for food or useful things.

  3. A substance used to remove impurities from the air or from a solution.

More examples

In context

  • A scavenger picked through the rubbish heap.

  • Vultures are natural scavengers.

  • garbage scavenger

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The vulture, a well-known blank, often feeds on dead animals it finds.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

Originally from Middle English scavager, from Anglo-Norman scawageour (“one who had to do with scavage, inspector, tax collector”), from Old Northern French *scawage, escauwage (“scavage”), Old French *scavage, escavage, alteration of escauvinghe (compare Medieval Latin scewinga, sceawinga), from Old Dutch scauwōn (“to inspect, to examinate, to look at”). Usually reinterpreted/re-analysed today as scavenge (which was originally a backformation from this word) + -er. Compare Old English sċēawung (“a showing, spectacle, examination, inspection, toll on exposure of goods”) and Dutch schouwing (“inspection”). More at show.