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Webster 1913 Edition
Scavenger
Scav′en-ger
,Noun.
[OE. ]
scavager
an officer with various duties, originally attending to scavage
, fr. OE. & E. scavage
. See Scavage
, Show
, Verb.
A person whose employment is to clean the streets of a city, by scraping or sweeping, and carrying off the filth. The name is also applied to any animal which devours refuse, carrion, or anything injurious to health.
Scavenger beetle
(Zool.)
, any beetle which feeds on decaying substances, as the carrion beetle.
– Scavenger crab
(Zool.)
, any crab which feeds on dead animals, as the spider crab.
– Scavenger’s daughter
[corrupt. of
, Skevington's daughter
]an instrument of torture invented by Sir W.
Skevington
, which so compressed the body as to force the blood to flow from the nostrils, and sometimes from the hands and feet. Am. Cyc.
Webster 1828 Edition
Scavenger
SCAV'ENGER
,Noun.
A person whose employment is to clean the streets of a city, by scraping or sweeping and carrying off the filth.