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
SYNONYMS FOR charlatan
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, adverbWords nearby charlatan
charity school,
charivari,
chark,
charkha,
charlady,
charlatan,
charlatanism,
charlatanry,
charlemagne,
charlene,
charleroi
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, adjectiveWord Origin for charlatan
C17: from French, from Italian
ciarlatano, from
ciarlare to chatter
Medical definitions for charlatan
charlatan
[ shär′lə-tən ]
n.
A person fraudulently claiming knowledge and skills not possessed.