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Scavenge: meaning, definitions and examples

๐Ÿ”
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scavenge

 

[ หˆskรฆv.ษชndส’ ]

Verb
Context #1 | Verb

hunt for or collect scraps

To scavenge means to search for or collect discarded items, especially food or materials. It often involves searching through trash or waste in order to find something useful. Scavenging is typically done out of necessity, such as by animals in the wild or by people living in poverty.

Synonyms

forage, hunt, rummage, search

Examples of usage

  • I saw a group of birds scavenging for food in the park.
  • People in the slums often scavenge through garbage bins to find items to sell or use.
  • The homeless man scavenged through the dumpster for something to eat.
  • We need to scavenge for firewood to keep warm tonight.
  • The raccoon scoured the area, scavenging for anything edible.
Context #2 | Verb

remove undesirable elements

Another meaning of scavenge is to remove or eliminate undesirable elements from a process or environment. This is commonly used in the context of cleaning or purifying air, water, or oil by filtering out impurities or pollutants.

Synonyms

cleanse, filter, purify, remove

Examples of usage

  • The air conditioning system in the car helps to scavenge dust and pollen from the air.
  • The water treatment plant uses various methods to scavenge contaminants from the drinking water.
  • Our body's immune system is designed to scavenge harmful bacteria and viruses.
  • The oil refinery has special equipment to scavenge sulfur compounds from the crude oil.
  • The vacuum cleaner can scavenge pet hair and dirt from the carpet effectively.

Translations

Translations of the word "scavenge" in other languages:

๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡น recolher

๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ณ เคขเฅ‚เค‚เคขเคจเคพ

๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ช plรผndern

๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ฉ mengais

๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฆ ะทะฑะธั€ะฐั‚ะธ

๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ฑ poszukiwaฤ‡

๐Ÿ‡ฏ๐Ÿ‡ต ใ‚ใ•ใ‚‹

๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ท fouiller

๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ธ rebuscar

๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ท aramak

๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ท ์ƒ…์ƒ…์ด ๋’ค์ง€๋‹ค

๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฆ ูŠุจุญุซ

๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฟ prohledรกvat

๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฐ prehrabรกvaลฅ

๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ ๆœๅฏป

๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฎ iskati

๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ธ leita

๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ฟ ั–ะทะดะตัƒ

๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ช แƒ›แƒแƒซแƒ˜แƒ”แƒ‘แƒ

๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡ฟ axtarmaq

๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ฝ rebuscar

Etymology

The word 'scavenge' originated in the late 17th century, derived from the Old French word 'escauvage' meaning 'right of taking refuse', which itself came from the Latin 'ex- ' (out) + 'cava' (hollow) + 'ia' (noun suffix). Over time, the meaning of scavenging has evolved to include both searching for food or materials in waste and removing impurities from various substances.

Word Frequency Rank

This word's position of #31,268 indicates it's among the more rare English words. While understanding it broadens your vocabulary, focus on more common words first.