: a disease caused by a lack of vitamin C and characterized by spongy gums, loosening of the teeth, and a bleeding into the skin and mucous membranes
Examples of scurvy in a Sentence
Adjective
after winning the lottery, she was beset by a whole scurvy swarm of con artists, ne'er-do-wells, and hangers-on
Recent Examples on the Web
Ashley Strickland, CNN, 18 Jan. 2025
Things changed when Royal Navy surgeon James Lind set out to see what could be used to treat scurvy, the scourge of sailors for thousands of years.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 18 Jan. 2025
Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 May 2025
The latest research indicates that the men split into groups sometime after April 1848, with some parties surviving longer than others but all ultimately dying of starvation, scurvy, exposure, physical exhaustion and chronic illnesses, among other causes.
—Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for scurvy
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Noun
On May 20, 1747, Lind assessed a dozen patients with scurvy aboard the Royal Navy ship HMS Salisbury while at sea.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 18 Jan. 2025
Things changed when Royal Navy surgeon James Lind set out to see what could be used to treat scurvy, the scourge of sailors for thousands of years.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 18 Jan. 2025
Adjective
Historians don’t know whether this cognitive disturbance was caused by lead poisoning, exhaustion, scurvy or some other combination of factors.
—Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 May 2025
The latest research indicates that the men split into groups sometime after April 1848, with some parties surviving longer than others but all ultimately dying of starvation, scurvy, exposure, physical exhaustion and chronic illnesses, among other causes.
—Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for scurvy
Cite this Entry
“Scurvy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scurvy. Accessed 9 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
scurvy
1 of 2 noun
scur·vy
ˈskər-vē 
: a disease caused by lack of vitamin C and characterized by loosening of the teeth, softening of the gums, and bleeding under the skin
Medical Definition
scurvy
noun
scur·vy
ˈskər-vē
plural scurvies
: a disease caused by a lack of vitamin C and characterized by spongy gums, loosening of the teeth, and bleeding into the skin and mucous membranes
called also scorbutus
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