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shyster

[ shahy-ster ]
/ ˈʃaɪ stər /
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noun Informal.
a lawyer who uses unprofessional or questionable methods.
a person who gets along by petty, sharp practices.
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In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

Origin of shyster

1835–45, Americanism; probably <German Scheisser, equivalent to scheiss(en) to shit + -er-er1; final -ser conformed to -ster

OTHER WORDS FROM shyster

shy·ster·ism, noun

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH shyster

ambulance chaser, mouthpiece, pettifogger, shyster
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use shyster in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for shyster

shyster
/ (ˈʃaɪstə) /

noun
informal, mainly US a person, esp a lawyer or politician, who uses discreditable or unethical methods

Word Origin for shyster

C19: probably based on Scheuster, name of a disreputable 19th-century New York lawyer
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
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