scavenger

scavenger
\ \ [15] A scavenger was originally a scavager – the extra n is the same as that intruded into messenger, passenger, etc. This was acquired from Anglo-Norman scawager, and it started life as a term for an official whose job was to collect taxes levied on foreign merchants. Etymologically it denoted ‘inspector’, for it was derived from the verb escauwerinspect’, which was borrowed from Flemish scauwenlook at’, a relative of English show. By the 16th century the scavenger had begun to come down in the world, first to a ‘street-cleaner’ and finally to ‘one who gathers or lives on what others have thrown away’. The verb scavenge was derived from it in the 17th century.
\ \ Cf.SHOW

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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  • Scavenger — (engl. Aasfresser) ist: Eine ehemalige schwedische Metalband, siehe The Arcane Order Alkylhalogenide wie 1,2 Dibromethan oder 1,2 Dichlorethan, die Bleiablagerungen im Motor (bei Verwendung verbleiten Benzins) verhindern Triazine zum Entfernen… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Scavenger — Scav en*ger, n. [OE. scavager an officer with various duties, originally attending to scavage, fr. OE. & E. scavage. See {Scavage}, {Show}, v.] A person whose employment is to clean the streets of a city, by scraping or sweeping, and carrying off …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • scavenger — (n.) originally person hired to remove refuse from streets, from M.E. scawageour (late 14c.), London official in charge of collecting tax on goods sold by foreign merchants, from Anglo Fr. scawager, from scawage toll or duty on goods offered for… …   Etymology dictionary

  • Scavenger —   [ skævɪndʒə; englisch, eigentlich »Aasfresser«] der, (s)/ , Antiklopfmittel …   Universal-Lexikon

  • scavenger — ► NOUN 1) a person or animal that scavenges. 2) Chemistry a substance that combines with and removes particular molecules, radicals, etc. ORIGIN originally denoting an official who collected scavage, a toll on foreign merchants goods, later a… …   English terms dictionary

  • scavenger — [skav′in jər] n. [ME scavager < Anglo Fr scawage, inspection < NormFr escauwer, to inspect < Fl scawen or Frank scouwon, to peer at, observe, akin to OE sceawian, SHOW] 1. a person who gathers things that have been discarded by others,… …   English World dictionary

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  • scavenger — [15] A scavenger was originally a scavager – the extra n is the same as that intruded into messenger, passenger, etc. This was acquired from Anglo Norman scawager, and it started life as a term for an official whose job was to collect taxes… …   The Hutchinson dictionary of word origins

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