quacksalver
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quacksalver
- /ˈkwæksælvə/ UK
- /ˈkwæksælvɚ/ US
Where it comes from
From Dutch quacksalver (“a hawker of salve”) (now spelt kwakzalver), derived from Middle Dutch quacsalven (noun or verb), from kwaken (“to boast, to brag; to croak”) + salve (“ointment, salve”) (modern Dutch zalf) + -er (agent noun suffix).
noun quacksalvers · quack-salver
-
One falsely claiming to possess medical or other skills, especially one who dispenses potions, ointments, etc., supposedly having curative powers; a quack.
[F]ree me from thoſe outward encumbrances of cares that over-whelme mee, and let this paraliticke quackſalver fill ten thouſand tunnes with ſcelerata ſinapis, ſhrewiſh ſnappiſh muſtard, as Plautus calls it, […]
Similar: medicaster, quack
Translations
Every language
noun one falsely claiming to possess medical or other skills
| Español | charlatán, curandero |
|---|---|
| Português | charlatão |
| Français | charlatan, marchand d'orviétan, médicastre |
| Deutsch | Quacksalber |
| Italiano | ciarlatano |
| Русский | шарлата́н šarlatán |
Talk about this word "quacksalver." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/quacksalver. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. quacksalver. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/quacksalver "quacksalver." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/quacksalver.Cite this
@misc{quacksalver_2026,
title = {quacksalver},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/quacksalver},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
