Synonyms Examples Word Origin
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. Show More
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
to treat in the manner of a quack. to advertise or sell with fraudulent claims. Show More
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. 2018
Related Words for quacker 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 quacker Historical Examples of quacker And all the time she didn't pay the least attention to Quacker the Duck.
Now it just happened that at that very minute Quacker chanced to look that way.
Quacker drummed his prettiest—“Quack-quack, quack-quack, quack-quack!”
As he crept along, Reddy wondered if it could be that for once Quacker had come ashore.
Why, she walked right out on the little beach just below Reddy and in plain sight of Quacker !
British Dictionary definitions for quacker (of a duck) to utter a harsh guttural sound to make a noise like a duck Show More
the harsh guttural sound made by a duck Show More
Word Origin for quack C17: of imitative origin; related to Dutch kwakken, German quacken
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 Show More
(intr) to act in the manner of a quack Show More
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
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for quacker n. "a duck," 1846, agent noun from quack (v.).
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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
An untrained person who pretends to be a physician and dispenses medical advice and treatment. A charlatan. Show More
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.
