This work explores the terminology that, to a greater or lesser extent and for more than four centuries, has been used in Spanish to refer to what is historically considered to be the disease of the people of the sea par excellence: scorbut (and some of its variants such as petechial scorbut, muriatic, stony, etc.). We also note the multiplicity of words triggered by this term in order to name a type of avitaminous disease characterised by a vitamin C deficit in the body (namely: the words ‘Berbén’, ‘loanda’, ‘poorly loanda’, ‘worm worms’, ‘peste de mar’, ‘scelotirbe’, ‘stomacace’, ‘gingibraquio’, ‘gingipedio’ and ‘pequitirbo’). To this end, the documentation provided by both digital libraries and haemerotecas, Spanish reference databanks and hispanic lexicographic repertoires on this lexicograph selection is analysed and presented.