scavenger
n. countablen. an animal that eats dead plants or animals it finds. It can also describe a person who searches through trash to find useful things.
n. an organism that feeds on dead or decaying organic matter; also refers to a person who salvages discarded items from refuse. In a chemical context, it describes a substance added to a mixture to remove or deactivate impurities.
The vulture is a well-known scavenger.
Hyenas are efficient scavengers that play a vital role in the ecosystem by cleaning up animal remains.
In industrial chemistry, a scavenger is often introduced to the reaction vessel to neutralize reactive intermediates that might otherwise lead to unwanted side products.
Originally from Middle English scavager, from Anglo-Norman scawageour (“one who had to do with scavage, inspector, tax collector”), from Old Northern French scawage, escauwage (“scavage”), Old French scavage, escavage, alteration of escauvinghe (compare Medieval Latin scewinga, sceawinga), from Old Dutch scauwōn (“to inspect, to examinate, to look at”). Usually reinterpreted/re-analysed today as scavenge (which was originally a backformation from this word) + -er. Compare Old English sċēawung (“a showing, spectacle, examination, inspection, toll on exposure of goods”) and Dutch schouwing (“inspection”). More at show.
Commonly used in biology to describe feeding habits or in environmental contexts regarding waste management.