scurvy

English

Etymology

Noun usage possibly from the adjective scurvy influenced by or a variant of scurfy. Took on meaning of (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Dutch scheurbuik, (deprecated template usage) [etyl] French scorbut (“scurvy”), possibly from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Old Norse skyrbjúgr, skyr (“sour milk”) + bjúgr (“swelling, tumour”) whence the Icelandic skyrbjúgur (“scurvy”). Compare German Scharbock, Late Latin scorbutus. Alternatively from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Middle Dutch, from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Middle Low German.

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)vi

Noun

scurvy (usually uncountable, plural scurvies)

1. (pathology) A disease caused by insufficient intake of vitamin C leading to the formation of livid spots on the skin, spongy gums, loosening of the teeth and bleeding into the skin and from almost all mucous membranes.
   • 2012 March, William E. Carter, Merri Sue Carter, “The British Longitude Act Reconsidered”, in American Scientist‎^[1], volume 100, number 2, page 87:

     Conditions were horrendous aboard most British naval vessels at the time. Scurvy and other diseases ran rampant, killing more seamen each year than all other causes combined, including combat.

Synonyms

• (vitamin C deficiency disease): Barlow's disease, Cheadle-Möller-Barlow syndrome, Cheadle's disease, land scurvy, Moeller's disease, Möller-Barlow disease, scorbutus

Derived terms

• scurvy grass

Related terms

• -scorbic
• scorbic
• ascorbic
• scorbutic

Translations

deficiency of vitamin C

• Armenian: լնդախտ (hy) (lndaxt)
• Catalan: escorbut m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 壞血病／坏血病 (zh) (huàixuèbìng), 坏血病 (zh) (huàixuèbìng or huàixiěbìng)

• Czech: kurděje (cs) f
• Danish: skørbug c
• Dutch: scheurbuik (nl)
• Finnish: keripukki (fi)
• French: scorbut (fr) m
• Georgian: სურავანდი (suravandi), სკორბუტი (sḳorbuṭi), ბარლოუს დაავადება (barlous daavadeba)
• German: Skorbut (de) m, Scharbock m
• Hungarian: skorbut (hu)
• Icelandic: skyrbjúgur m
• Italian: scorbuto (it) m
• Japanese: 壊血病 (かいけつびょう, kaiketsubyō)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: skjørbuk m

  Nynorsk: skjørbuk m

• Polish: szkorbut (pl) m
• Portuguese: (Brazil) escorbuto (pt) m
• Russian: цинга́ (ru) f (cingá), ско́рбут (ru) m (skórbut)
• Serbo-Croatian: skorbut (sh) m
• Slovene: skorbut (sl) m
• Spanish: escorbuto (es) m
• Swedish: skörbjugg (sv) c
• Tagalog: eskorbuto
• Thai: ลักปิดลักเปิด (th) (lák-gà-bpìt-lák-gà-bpə̀ət)
• Turkish: iskorbüt (tr)
• Welsh: sgyrfi m

Adjective

scurvy (comparative scurvier, superlative scurviest)

1. Covered or affected with scurf or scabs; scabby; scurfy; specifically, diseased with the scurvy.
   • Bible, Leviticus xxi. 18, 20

     whatsoever man […] be scurvy or scabbed

2. Contemptible, despicable, low, disgustingly mean.

   a scurvy trick; a scurvy knave

   • c. 1610-11 William Shakespeare, The Tempest, Act III scene ii^[2]:

     What a pied ninny's this! Thou scurvy patch!

   • (Can we date this quote by Jonathan Swift and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     […] that scurvy custom of taking tobacco

Synonyms

• (affected with scurf or scabs): roynish, scabrous; see also Thesaurus:scabby
• (contemptible): miserable, paltry, shabby; see also Thesaurus:despicable

Derived terms

• scurvily
• scurviness

Translations

Contemptible, despicable, low, disgustingly mean

• Italian: ignobile (it),spregevole (it), scorbutico (it)
• Russian: ни́зкий (ru) (nízkij), подлый (ru) (podlyj)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Serbo-Croatian: podao (sh)

See also

• morphew

References

• “scurvy”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “scurvy”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
• Oxford English Dictionary, 1884–1928, and First Supplement, 1933.
• Who Named It? last accessed 28-Mar-2007