Where does “scavenger” come from?
Scavenger comes from Middle English scavager, from Anglo-Norman scawageour, from Old French escauwage, from Old French escauvinghe, from Middle English shewing, from Old English sċēawung meaning inspection or examination.
scavenger (English): Someone who scavenges, especially one who...
Definitions
- Someone who scavenges, especially one who...
Ancestry of “scavenger”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | scavager | — |
| 2 | Anglo-Norman | scawageour | one who had to do with scavage, inspector, tax... |
| 3 | French | scawage | — |
| 4 | Old French | scavage | — |
| 5 | Old French | escavage | — |
| 6 | Old French | escauvinghe | scavage |
| 7 | Middle English | shewing | present participle of shew |
| 8 | Old English | sċēawung | inspection, contemplation; a showing, spectacle,... |
| 9 | Old English | -ung | forming nouns from verbs, denoting verbal action... |
| 10 | Proto-Germanic | -ungō | -ing, -ion. "Forms gerund nouns from verbs." |