Scavenger beetle

Scavenger beetle
Scavenger Scav"en*ger, n. [OE. scavager an officer with various duties, originally attending to scavage, fr. OE. & E. scavage. See {Scavage}, {Show}, v.] 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. [1913 Webster]

{Scavenger beetle} (Zo["o]l.), any beetle which feeds on decaying substances, as the carrion beetle.

{Scavenger crab} (Zo["o]l.), 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. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • scavenger beetle — noun Etymology: scavenger (I) : a beetle (as of the family Hydrophilidae) that feeds on decaying substances …   Useful english dictionary

  • water scavenger beetle — ▪ insect       any of the approximately 2,000 species of the predominately aquatic insect family Hydrophilidae (order Coleoptera). These beetles are found swimming in marshy freshwater ponds throughout the world, especially in warm regions. Water …   Universalium

  • Scavenger — Scav en*ger, n. [OE. scavager an officer with various duties, originally attending to scavage, fr. OE. & E. scavage. See {Scavage}, {Show}, v.] A person whose employment is to clean the streets of a city, by scraping or sweeping, and carrying off …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Scavenger crab — Scavenger Scav en*ger, n. [OE. scavager an officer with various duties, originally attending to scavage, fr. OE. & E. scavage. See {Scavage}, {Show}, v.] A person whose employment is to clean the streets of a city, by scraping or sweeping, and… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Scavenger's daughter — Scavenger Scav en*ger, n. [OE. scavager an officer with various duties, originally attending to scavage, fr. OE. & E. scavage. See {Scavage}, {Show}, v.] A person whose employment is to clean the streets of a city, by scraping or sweeping, and… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • water scavenger beetle — noun : a water beetle of the family Hydrophilidae …   Useful english dictionary

  • scavenger — n. 1 a person who seeks and collects discarded items. 2 an animal, esp. a beetle, feeding on carrion, refuse, etc. 3 Brit. archaic a person employed to clean the streets etc. Derivatives: scavengery n. Etymology: ME scavager f. AF scawager f.… …   Useful english dictionary

  • water beetle — any of various aquatic beetles, as a predaceous diving beetle. [1660 70] * * * ▪ insect       any of several thousand species of aquatic beetles (order Coleoptera), including members of the families Haliplidae (crawling water beetles),… …   Universalium

  • Lesser silver water beetle — Taxobox name = Lesser silver water beetle status = EN regnum = Animalia phylum = Arthropoda classis = Insecta ordo = Coleoptera familia = Hydrophilidae genus = Hydrochara species = H. caraboides binomial = Hydrochara caraboides binomial authority …   Wikipedia

  • American spider beetle — Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Insecta …   Wikipedia

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