scavage

Meanings

Noun

• A toll or duty anciently exacted from merchant strangers by mayors, sheriffs, etc. for goods offered for sale within their precincts.

Verb

• To act as a scavenger, to scavenge.

Origin

• From Middle English scavage, schevage, schewage, from Anglo-Norman escavage, escauwage, alteration of earlier escauvinghe, from Middle English shewing, schewing, from Old English sċēawung, equivalent to show + -ing.
• Back-formation from scavager.