charlatan

[ shahr-luh-tn ]
/ ˈʃɑr lə tn /

noun

a person who pretends or claims to have more knowledge or skill than he or she possesses; quack.

Origin of charlatan

1595–1605; < Middle French < Italian ciarlatano, equivalent to ciarla(tore) chatterer (derivative of ciarlare to chatter; from imitative root) + ( cerre)tano hawker, quack, literally, native of Cerreto, a village in Umbria, known for its quacks

OTHER WORDS FROM charlatan

char·la·tan·ic [shahr-luh-tan-ik] /ˌʃɑr ləˈtæn ɪk/, char·la·tan·i·cal, char·la·tan·ish, char·la·tan·is·tic, adjective char·la·tan·i·cal·ly, adverb

Example sentences from the Web for charlatan

British Dictionary definitions for charlatan

charlatan
/ (ˈʃɑːlətən) /

noun

someone who professes knowledge or expertise, esp in medicine, that he or she does not have; quack

Derived forms of charlatan

charlatanism or charlatanry, noun charlatanistic, adjective

Word Origin for charlatan

C17: from French, from Italian ciarlatano, from ciarlare to chatter

Medical definitions for charlatan

charlatan
[ shärlə-tən ]

n.

A person fraudulently claiming knowledge and skills not possessed.