Scrofulous

Another word following the line of scorbutic that I just read in Paul Auster’s New York Trilogy. It is the adjectival form of scrofula, a desease that the Oxford American Dictionary says is related to tuberculosis and is marked by extreme glandular swelling.  Like scorbutic, however, I have never seen the word used in the literal sense.  It seems to always be used as negative commentary on one’s moral state.

Scorbutic

A wonderful word used for something related to scurvy. I’ve seen it used a couple of times, though, and never in the literal sense. It seems more often used in a pejorative fashion (e.g. You scorbutic fiend!).