scurvy

/ˈskʌrvi/

/ˈskʌvi/

Other forms: scurviest; scurvier; scurvies

If you are a pirate who doesn't get to shore very often to shop for fresh fruits and veggies, you might suffer from scurvy, a disease caused by vitamin C deficiency.

Scurvy has some alarming symptoms: your gums become soft and tender and your teeth fall out. Scurvy has become a rarity in most parts of the world, but in regions where food is scarce and malnutrition common, it's still a problem. The unpleasant associations of the word also make it a colorful (and archaic) way to describe something low-down and miserable, as in "that was a scurvy trick you played on me, you dastardly cur!"

Definitions of scurvy

1. noun

   a condition caused by deficiency of ascorbic acid (vitamin C)
   synonyms: scorbutus

   type of:

   avitaminosis, hypovitaminosis

   any of several diseases caused by deficiency of one or more vitamins
2. adjective

   of the most contemptible kind
   “a scurvy trick”

   synonyms: abject, low, low-down, miserable, scummy

   contemptible, misbegotten

   deserving of contempt or scorn