scurvy

scurvy

English

Etymology

Noun usage possibly from the adjective scurvy influenced by or a variant of scurfy. Took on meaning of Dutch scheurbuik, French scorbut (“scurvy”), possibly from Old Norse skyrbjúgr, skyr (“sour milk”) + bjúgr (“swelling, tumour”), from the verb bjúga (“to bend”), whence Icelandic skyrbjúgur (“scurvy”) and Swedish skörbjugg (“scurvy”).

Compare German Scharbock, Late Latin scorbutus. More at sour, bow.

Or, equivalent to scurf (“flakes on the surface of the skin”) +‎ -y.[1]

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈskɝvi/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈskɜːvi/

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

• 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 1, William E. Carter, Merri Sue Carter, “The British Longitude Act Reconsidered”, in American Scientist‎, 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), ցինգա (hy) (cʿinga) Bashkir: зәңге (zäŋge) Bulgarian: скорбут (bg) m (skorbut) Catalan: escorbut m Chinese: Mandarin: 壞血病／坏血病 (zh) (huàixuèbìng or huàixiěbìng) Czech: kurděje (cs) f Danish: skørbug c Dutch: scheurbuik (nl) Esperanto: skorbuto Finnish: keripukki (fi) French: scorbut (fr) m Georgian: სურავანდი (suravandi), სკორბუტი (sḳorbuṭi), ბარლოუს დაავადება (barlous daavadeba) German: Skorbut (de) m, Scharbock m Greek: σκορβούτο (el) (skorvoúto) Hungarian: skorbut (hu) Icelandic: skyrbjúgur m Italian: scorbuto (it) m Japanese: 壊血病 (かいけつびょう, kaiketsubyō) Kazakh: құрқұлақ (qūrqūlaq), діңгене (dıñgene) Korean: 괴혈병(壞血病) (ko) (goehyeolbyeong) Latin: scorbutus m Macedonian: ско́рбут m (skórbut) Norwegian: Bokmål: skjørbuk m Nynorsk: skjørbuk m Ottoman Turkish: اسقوربوت‎ (iskorbüt) 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 Tatar: зәңгелә (tt) (zäñgelä) Thai: ลักปิดลักเปิด (th) (lák-gà-bpìt-lák-gà-bpə̀ət) Turkish: iskorbüt (tr) Welsh: sgyrfi m, clefri poeth m, llwg m

Adjective

scurvy (comparative scurvier, superlative scurviest)

1. Covered or affected with scurf or scabs; scabby; scurfy; specifically, diseased with the scurvy.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981, Leviticus 21:18-20:

     whatsoever man […] be scurvy or scabbed

2. Contemptible, despicable, low, disgustingly mean.

   a scurvy trick; a scurvy knave

   • 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act III, scene ii]:

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

   • 1709, [Jonathan Swift], A Project for the Advancement of Religion, and the Reformation of Manners. […], London: […] Benj[amin] Tooke, […], OCLC 220146796, page 29:

     And among other Regulations it would be very convenient to prevent the Exceſs of Drink, with that ſcurvy Cuſtom among the Lads, and Parent of the former Vice, the taking of Tobacco, where it is not abſolutely neceſſary in Point of Health.

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

Bulgarian: низък (bg) (nizǎk), подъл (bg) (podǎl) Italian: ignobile (it),spregevole (it), scorbutico (it) Macedonian: ни́зок (nízok), по́дмолен (pódmolen), по́дол (pódol) Russian: ни́зкий (ru) (nízkij), подлый (ru) (podlyj) Serbo-Croatian: podao (sh)

See also

• morphew

References

• scurvy in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• Douglas Harper (2001–2023), “scurvy”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
• Oxford English Dictionary, 1884–1928, and First Supplement, 1933.
• Who Named It? last accessed 28-Mar-2007

1. “scurvy”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.