scavenge

• POS: Verb (usu participle), Verb (transitive)
• HYPHEN: scav=enge

CIDE DICTIONARY

scavenge, v. t. 

•  To cleanse, as streets, from filth.  C. Kingsley.  [1913 Webster]
•  to salvage (usable items or material) from discarded or waste material.  [PJC]
•  To remove (burned gases) from the cylinder after a working stroke.  [Webster 1913 Suppl.]

scavenge, v. i. 

 To remove the burned gases from the cylinder after a working stroke; as, this engine does not scavenge well.  [Webster 1913 Suppl.]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

scavenge, v.
1 tr. & intr. (usu. foll. by for) search for and collect (discarded items).
2 tr. remove unwanted products from (an internal-combustion engine cylinder etc.).

Etymology

back-form. f. SCAVENGER

THESAURUS

scavenge

bleach, bowdlerize, clean, clean out, clean up, cleanse, clear out, delouse, depurate, deterge, dry-clean, dust, dust off, expurgate, freshen, lustrate, purge, purify, reform, spruce, steam-clean, sweep out, sweeten, tidy, whiten, wipe, wipe off, wipe out, wipe up