SYNONYMS | EXAMPLES | WORD ORIGIN 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.
Origin of quack 1 1610–20; imitative; compare Dutch kwakken, German quacken
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.
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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. Show More
verb (used with object) to treat in the manner of a quack.
to advertise or sell with fraudulent claims.
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Origin of quack 2 First recorded in
1620–30; short for
quacksalver Related forms quack·ish , adjective quack·ish·ly , adverb quack·ish·ness , noun Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Related Words for quack simulated ,
bum ,
pseudo ,
phony ,
pretended ,
fake ,
sham ,
dissembling ,
mountebank ,
faker ,
sharp ,
whip ,
counterfeit ,
actor ,
cheat ,
counterfeiter ,
humbug ,
pretender ,
fraud ,
impostor Examples from the Web for quack Contemporary Examples of quack Humor and historical distance allow me to illustrate how a quack operates in a way that I could not with a contemporary example.
Google his name, and the top two related searches come up as “Daniel Amen scam” and “Daniel Amen quack .”
Duck calls are short, whistle-like tools used to emit “quack ” sounds in order to lure ducks for hunting.
Even the quack doctor, Dr. Gopalarajan, derives a real glimmer of joy from believing he has “helped, not harmed” a fellow being.
Historical Examples of quack The one object of the quack doctor is to size you up and see what you "are good for."
When all was said, a man in the presence of this quack did feel in the presence of a great man.
Partridge, cobbler, astrologer, almanac-maker and quack (died 1708).
As for his being a quack doctor, I see no great harm in that.
As a mountebank, a juggler, a quack doctor—I spurned the very idea.
British Dictionary definitions for quack verb (intr) (of a duck) to utter a harsh guttural sound
to make a noise like a duck
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noun the harsh guttural sound made by a duck
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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
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verb (intr) to act in the manner of a quack
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Derived Forms quackish , 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
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Word Origin and History for quack v. "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 .
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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 .
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n.2 duck sound, 1839, from quack (v.).
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
n. An untrained person who pretends to be a physician and dispenses medical advice and treatment.
A charlatan.
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Related forms quack′ er•y n. The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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