quacksalver

[kwak-sal-ver]

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noun

a quack doctor.
a charlatan.

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. 2018

Related Words for quacksalver

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

British Dictionary definitions for quacksalver

quacksalver

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

1570s; see quack (n.1).