Ragmen

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Individuals who collect and sell discarded textiles, particularly old rags and clothing
2. People engaged in the recycling or resale of used fabrics as a means of livelihood
3. Workers associated with the gathering and trading of textiles deemed no longer useful

Etymology: "Ragmen" is simply the plural of "ragman," a person who collects and sells old rags and cast-off clothing. The word is built from two plain English parts: "rag," a scrap of worn cloth, and "man," a person who deals in or works with a particular thing, so the whole compound reads literally as "rag-person." Compounds of this sort were a common way of naming trades in English, and "ragman" follows the same pattern as older occupational terms built on a material plus "man."

Synonyms: tramps, vagrants, wanderers, beggars, homeless