beachcomber

[ beech-koh-mer ]

/ ˈbitʃˌkoʊ mər /

a person who lives by gathering salable articles of jetsam, refuse, etc., from beaches.

a vagrant who lives on the seashore, especially a nonnative person living in such a way on a South Pacific island.

a long wave rolling in from the ocean onto the beach.

Origin of beachcomber

First recorded in 1830–40; beach + comber

He began to talk of the performances of my little two-year-old, Beachcomber; and after twenty minutes or so, he drifted away.

The Deluge |David Graham Phillips
They followed the path, and a moment later caught a fleeting glimpse of the beachcomber.

Voice from the Cave |Mildred A. Wirt
“Hold hard,” cried the beachcomber, when the bottom was nearly reached.

King o' the Beach |George Manville Fenn
He was wrecked on the Peruvian coast and became a beachcomber, and then got a berth in a whaler.

The Frozen Pirate |W. Clark Russell

The Beachcomber tugged his red moustache and laughed deprecatingly.

Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 156, April 16, 1919 |Various

beachcomber

/ (ˈbiːtʃˌkəʊmə) /

a person who searches shore debris for anything of worth, esp a vagrant living on a beach

Canadian (in British Columbia) a person who is paid for salvaging loose logs and returning them to logging companies

a long high wave rolling onto a beach

beachcombing, noun