scur·vy  (skûr v ē)
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n. 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.]
scurvi·ly adv. scurvi·ness n. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices
Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:
Indo-European Roots
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