Dictionary.com

mountebank

[ moun-tuh-bangk ]
/ ˈmaʊn təˌbæŋk /
Save This Word!
See synonyms for mountebank on Thesaurus.com

noun

a person who sells quack medicines, as from a platform in public places, attracting and influencing an audience by tricks, storytelling, etc.
any charlatan or quack.

verb (used without object)

to act or operate as a mountebank.

QUIZZES

QUIZ YOURSELF ON “ITS” VS. “IT’S”!

Apostrophes can be tricky; prove you know the difference between it’s and its in this crafty quiz!
Question 1 of 12
On the farm, the feed for chicks is significantly different from the roosters’; ______ not even comparable.
it's
its
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of mountebank

1570–80; (<Middle French ) <Italian montimbanco one who climbs on a bench, equivalent to mont(are) to climb (see mount1) + -im-, variant of in on + banco bench (see bank2)

OTHER WORDS FROM mountebank

moun·te·bank·er·y [moun-tuh-bangk-uh-ree], /ˈmaʊn təˌbæŋk ə ri/, noun

Words nearby mountebank

Mountbatten, Mount Carmel man, Mount Clemens, Mount Cook lily, Mount Desert Island, mountebank, mounted, mounter, Mount Everest, Mount Gambier, Mountie
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Words related to mountebank

cheat, swindler, grifter, imposter

Example sentences from the Web for mountebank

British Dictionary definitions for mountebank

mountebank
/ (ˈmaʊntɪˌbæŋk) /

noun

(formerly) a person who sold quack medicines in public places
a charlatan; fake

verb

(intr) to play the mountebank

Derived forms of mountebank

mountebankery, noun

Word Origin for mountebank

C16: from Italian montambanco a climber on a bench, from montare to mount ² + banco bench (see also bank 1)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
What's This Word?