# scurvy

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ˈskɜːvi/ · frequency rank #40,435

## Definitions
1. Affected or covered with scurf (“skin disease causing flakes of skin to fall off”) or scabs; scurfy, scabby; also, of or relating to a skin disease causing scurf or to scurvy (noun noun sense 1).
2. Of growths on plants: resembling scurf; scurfy.
3. Of a person or thing: disgustingly mean; contemptible, despicable, low.
4. Of the way someone is treated: poor, shabby.

## Etymology
The adjective is derived from Late Middle English scurvi, scurvy, variants of scurfi (“having scurf, scabby”), from scurf (“skin disease causing scabs or scales; flakes of skin that fall off due to a skin disease, etc.”) + -i (suffix forming adjectives). Scurf is derived from Old English scurf, from Proto-Germanic *skurf- (“to gnaw”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- (“to cut off, sever; to divide, separate”). By surface analysis, scurf (“skin disease; flakes of skin that fall off due to a skin disease; crust-like formations on the skin”) + -y (suffix meaning ‘having the quality of’ forming adjectives).
The noun is derived from the adjective. It was used to translate the similar-sounding Dutch scheurbuik, French scorbut, Middle Low German schorbūk (“scurvy (disease)”), etc.

## Easily confused with
- **surly** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/scurvy-vs-surly)
- **surry** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/scurvy-vs-surry)
- **survey** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/scurvy-vs-survey)
- **sturdy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/scurvy-vs-sturdy)
- **slurry** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/scurvy-vs-slurry)
- **scary** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/scary-vs-scurvy)
- **Scully** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/scully-vs-scurvy)
- **scurry** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/scurry-vs-scurvy)

## Common misspellings (10)
`csurvy`, `sccurvy`, `scruvy`, `scurrvy`, `scurvvy`, `scurvyy`, `scuryv`, `scuvry`, `sscurvy`, `sucrvy`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/scurvy