scavenge
[ skav-inj ]
/ ˈskæv ɪndʒ /
verb (used with object), scav·enged, scav·eng·ing.
to take or gather (something usable) from discarded material.
to cleanse of filth, as a street.
to expel burnt gases from (the cylinder of an internal-combustion engine).
Metallurgy.
to purify (molten metal) by introducing a substance that will combine chemically with impurities.
verb (used without object), scav·enged, scav·eng·ing.
Origin of scavenge
First recorded in 1635–45; back formation from
scavenger
OTHER WORDS FROM scavenge
un·scav·enged, adjectiveWords nearby scavenge
scaturient,
scaud,
scaup,
scauper,
scaur,
scavenge,
scavenge pump,
scavenge stroke,
scavenger,
scavenger beetle,
scavenger hunt
Example sentences from the Web for scavenge
British Dictionary definitions for scavenge
scavenge
/ (ˈskævɪndʒ) /
verb
to search for (anything usable) among discarded material
(tr)
to purify (a molten metal) by bubbling a suitable gas through it. The gas may be inert or may react with the impurities
to clean up filth from (streets, etc)
chem
to act as a scavenger for (atoms, molecules, ions, radicals, etc)