scurvy

Definition: A vitamin found in citrus fruits and green vegetables. Ascorbic acid is essential for healthy connective tissue. A severe deficiency results in scurvy. Scurvy causes lethargy, bruising, bleeding gums, swollen legs and (if untreated) death. People would get it on long sea voyages. An old word from mediaeval Latin—scorbutic—means ‘affected by scurvy’ or ‘of [...]