quack

[ kwak ]

/ kwæk /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR quack ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the harsh, throaty cry of a duck or any similar sound.

verb (used without object)

to utter the cry of a duck or a sound resembling it.

Nearby words

Origin of quack

1610–20; imitative; compare Dutch kwakken, German quacken

quack

[ kwak ]

/ kwæk /

noun

a fraudulent or ignorant pretender to medical skill.

a person who pretends, professionally or publicly, to skill, knowledge, or qualifications he or she does not possess; a charlatan.

adjective

being a quack: a quack psychologist who complicates everyone's problems.

presented falsely as having curative powers: quack medicine.

of, relating to, or befitting a quack or quackery: quack methods.

verb (used with object)

to treat in the manner of a quack.

to advertise or sell with fraudulent claims.

Origin of quack

First recorded in 1620–30; short for quacksalver

SYNONYMS FOR quack

2. mountebank, phony.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR quack ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formsquack·ish, adjectivequack·ish·ly, adverbquack·ish·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for quack

Humor and historical distance allow me to illustrate how a quack operates in a way that I could not with a contemporary example.
The Strange, True Tale of the Old-Timey Goat Testicle-Implanting 'Governor'|Penny Lane|September 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Google his name, and the top two related searches come up as “Daniel Amen scam” and “Daniel Amen quack.”
Can Daniel Amen Read Your Mind?|Eliza Shapiro|December 14, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Duck calls are short, whistle-like tools used to emit “quack” sounds in order to lure ducks for hunting.
Dummies’ Guide to ‘Duck Dynasty’|Melissa Leon|December 8, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Even the quack doctor, Dr. Gopalarajan, derives a real glimmer of joy from believing he has “helped, not harmed” a fellow being.
Must Read Fiction: ‘Prague Fatale,’ ‘Derby Day’ and More|Malcolm Forbes, Hillary Kelly, Mythili Rao|May 9, 2012|DAILY BEAST

Especially should we refuse to patronize the quack advertiser.
How to Live|Irving Fisher and Eugene Fisk
So a French quack adorns his shop with a gilded bust of Hippocrates!
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 65, No. 403, May, 1849|Various
This essential information obtained, the quack at once sets his moral rack to work.
Danger! A True History of a Great City's Wiles and Temptations|William Howe
Before long the government will pass laws on this baneful, shameful, quack advertising.
Evening Round Up|William Crosbie Hunter
The change from speaking to singing voice is where the quack enters with his mystery.
Seed Thoughts for Singers|Frank Herbert Tubbs

British Dictionary definitions for quack

quack

/ (kwæk) /

verb (intr)

(of a duck) to utter a harsh guttural sound

to make a noise like a duck

noun

the harsh guttural sound made by a duck

Word Origin for quack

C17: of imitative origin; related to Dutch kwakken, German quacken

noun

an unqualified person who claims medical knowledge or other skills
(as modifier)a quack doctor

British, Australian and NZ informal a doctor; physician or surgeon

verb

(intr) to act in the manner of a quack

Derived Formsquackish, adjective

Word Origin for quack

C17: short for quacksalver

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

Word Origin and History for quack

quack

"to make a duck sound," 1610s, earlier quake (1520s), variant of quelke (early 14c.), of echoic origin (cf. Middle Dutch quacken, Old Church Slavonic kvakati, Latin coaxare "to croak," Greek koax "the croaking of frogs," Hittite akuwakuwash "frog"). Middle English on the quakke (14c.) meant "hoarse, croaking." Related: Quacked; quacking.

quack

n.1

"medical charlatan," 1630s, short for quacksalver (1570s), from obsolete Dutch quacksalver (modern kwakzalver), literally "hawker of salve," from Middle Dutch quacken "to brag, boast," literally "to croak" (see quack (v.)) + salf "salve," salven "to rub with ointment" (see salve (v.)). As an adjective from 1650s. The oldest attested form of the word in this sense in English is as a verb, "to play the quack" (1620s). The Dutch word also is the source of German Quacksalber, Danish kvaksalver, Swedish kvacksalvare.

n.2

duck sound, 1839, from quack (v.).

Medicine definitions for quack

quack

[ kwăk ]

n.

An untrained person who pretends to be a physician and dispenses medical advice and treatment.

A charlatan.

Related formsquack′er•y n.

quack

noun

verb (used without object)

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Nearby words

Origin of quack

quack

noun

adjective

verb (used with object)

Origin of quack

Examples from the Web for quack

quack

verb (intr)

noun

Word Origin for quack

noun

verb

Word Origin for quack

quack

quack

quack

n.