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Detritus vs Scavenger - What's the difference?

detritus | scavenger |

As nouns the difference between detritus and scavenger

is that detritus is detritus while scavenger is (obsolete) a street sweeper.

detritus

English

Noun

(wikipedia detritus)
  • (countable, chiefly, geological) pieces of rock broken off by ice, glacier, or erosion.
  • (biology) Organic waste material from decomposing dead plants or animals.
  • debris or fragments of disintegrated material
    • 2001'. "But of course: no clutter. No newspapers, no renegade scraps of domestic '''detritus , no rubber bands, paper clips, coupons, pens or pencils, notebooks, magazines. No knives. Where were the knives?" — Chip Kidd. ''The Cheese Monkeys

    Derived terms

    * detrital * detritivore

    scavenger

    English

    Alternative forms

    * (l) (obsolete)

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (obsolete) A street sweeper.
  • Someone who scavenges, especially one who searches through rubbish for food or useful things.
  • An animal that feeds on decaying matter such as carrion.
  • (chemistry) A substance used to remove impurities from the air or from a solution.

    • Derived terms

    * scavenger beetle * scavenger crab * scavenger's daughter * scav

    References

    --> English agent nouns English twice-borrowed terms