definitions

quacksalver

[ kwak-sal-ver ]
/ ˈkwækˌsæl vər /
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR quacksalver ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a quack doctor.
a charlatan.

RELATED WORDS

mountebank, faker, fake, sharp, whip, counterfeit, actor, cheat, counterfeiter, sham, humbug, phony, bum, pretender, fraud, impostor, pseudo, put-on, charlatan, shark

Nearby words

quaalude, quack, quack grass, quacker, quackery, quacksalver, quaco, quad, quad bike, quad cities, quad left

Origin of quacksalver

1570–80; < early Dutch (now kwakzalver); see quack1, salve1, -er1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for quacksalver

quacksalver

/ (ˈkwækˌsælvə) /

noun

an archaic word for quack 2

Word Origin for quacksalver

C16: from Dutch, from quack, apparently: to hawk + salf salve 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

Word Origin and History for quacksalver

quacksalver

n.

1570s; see quack (n.1).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper