scur·vy

(skûr′vē)

A disease caused by deficiency of vitamin C, characterized by spongy and bleeding gums, bleeding under the skin, and extreme weakness.

adj. scur·vi·er, scur·vi·est

Mean; contemptible.

[From Middle English scurfy, characterized by scurf (influenced by French scorbut, scurvy), from scurf, scurf; see scurf.]

scur′vi·ly adv.

scur′vi·ness n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

scurvy

(ˈskɜːvɪ)

(Pathology) a disease caused by a lack of vitamin C, characterized by anaemia, spongy gums, bleeding beneath the skin, and (in infants) malformation of bones and teeth.

adj, -vier or -viest

mean or despicable: a scurvy knave.

[C16: see scurf]

ˈscurvily adv

ˈscurviness n

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

scur•vy

(ˈskɜr vi)

n., adj. -vi•er, -vi•est. n.

1. a disease marked by swollen and bleeding gums, livid spots on the skin, and prostration and caused by a lack of vitamin C.

adj.

2. contemptible; despicable.

[1555–65; scurf + -y¹]

scur′vi•ly, adv.

scur′vi•ness, n.

scur·vy

(skûr′vē)

A disease caused by lack of vitamin C in the diet. It is characterized by bleeding of the gums, rupture of capillaries under the skin, loose teeth, and weakness of the body.

The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun	1.	scurvy - a condition caused by deficiency of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) scorbutus avitaminosis, hypovitaminosis - any of several diseases caused by deficiency of one or more vitamins
Adj.	1.	scurvy - of the most contemptible kind; "abject cowardice"; "a low stunt to pull"; "a low-down sneak"; "his miserable treatment of his family"; "You miserable skunk!"; "a scummy rabble"; "a scurvy trick" abject, low-down, scummy, miserable, low contemptible - deserving of contempt or scorn

scurvy

adjective (Old-fashioned) contemptible, mean, bad, low, base, rotten, sorry, worthless, shabby, vile, low-down (informal), pitiful, abject, despicable, dishonourable, ignoble, scabby (informal) It was a scurvy trick to play.

Related words
adjective scorbutic

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

Translations

keripukki

skyrbjúgur

skörbjugg

scurvy

[ˈskɜːvɪ]

A. ADJ → vil, canallesco

B. N → escorbuto m

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

scurvy

[ˈskɜː^rvi] n → scorbut m

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

scurvy

n → Skorbut m

adj (obs) knave → schändlich

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

scurvy

[ˈskɜːvɪ] n → scorbuto

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

scur·vy

n. escorbuto, enfermedad causada por deficiencia de vitamina C que se manifiesta con anemia, encías sangrantes y un estado general de laxitud.

scurvy

n escorbuto

Mentioned in

References in classic literature

But, even before Christmas, the lack of fresh vegetables caused scurvy to break out, and disappointed adventurer after disappointed adventurer took to his bunk in abject surrender to this culminating misfortune.

Nor was he downhearted when the scurvy broke out on his own body.

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Back in California a year later, recovering from scurvy, I found that my father was dead and that I was the head and the sole bread-winner of a household.

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It had played him a scurvy trick when it fashioned him into the thing he was, and it had played him scurvy tricks ever since.

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"Now a murrain seize thee and thy news, thou scurvy dog," quoth the Tinker, "for thou speakest but ill of good men.

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Fair ladies, brave knights, churls, varlets, squires, scurvy knaves, men-at-arms, malapert rogues--all were merry.

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The children had discovered the glittering hoard, and when in a mischievous mood used to fling showers of moidores, diamonds, pearls and pieces of eight to the gulls, who pounced upon them for food, and then flew away, raging at the scurvy trick that had been played upon them.

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And here we shall need only to resort to what happened the preceding day, when, hearing from Lady Bellaston that Mr Western was arrived in town, she went to pay her duty to him, at his lodgings at Piccadilly, where she was received with many scurvy compellations too coarse to be repeated, and was even threatened to be kicked out of doors.

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It's another sort of cat they must throw in my face, and not that poor scurvy knave.

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That cow-skin cap in sooth must hide a scurvy varlet!"

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They would shave off her hair, feed her on a scanty allowance of rice, treat her with contempt; she would be looked upon as an unclean creature, and would die in some corner, like a scurvy dog.

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At the bar, which ranged along one side of the large chinked-log room, leaned half a dozen men, two of whom were discussing the relative merits of spruce-tea and lime-juice as remedies for scurvy. They argued with an air of depression and with intervals of morose silence.

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