Scrapper

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An individual or device specialized in collecting and recycling waste materials while also being characterized by a combative and determined nature
2. A person or device responsible for retrieving and recycling materials, particularly scrap, while also exhibiting a tenacious and combative spirit
3. A person who is known for engaging in aggressive fights or disputes ; an individual or device that gathers and recycles discarded materials

Etymology: "Scrapper" is a plain formation: the noun "scrap" with the agent suffix "-er," meaning one who does the action. The suffix has a long pedigree of its own. It traces back through Latin "-arius," which was used to form nouns of occupation and agency, to Old English "-ere," and to Old French "-ier," which the English "-er" ending later absorbed. Words built this way, from "baker" to "teacher," were a productive pattern in English for centuries. The base word is the more interesting part. "Scrap" comes from a Middle English noun meaning a small fragment or leftover piece, and its meaning as discarded material gives the modern sense of someone who gathers such material. The extra sense of a fighter, someone who scraps or brawls, grew out of the verb "scrap," meaning to fight, and the two senses have run together, so the same word now names both the collector and the combatant.

Synonyms: fighter, brawler, combatant, warrior, challenger

Antonyms: peacemaker, coward, submissive, defeated, loser