noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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Received-Pronunciation:/ˈkwæksælvə/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
General-American:/ˈkwæksælvɚ/
1
noun
Meaning 1
One falsely claiming to possess medical or other skills, especially one who dispenses potions, ointments, etc., supposedly having curative powers; a quack.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: archaic
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
Etymology tree Middle Dutch quacsalven Dutch quacksalverbor. English quacksalver 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).
Across languages
Translations
25 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Afrikaans:
kwaksalwer
— one falsely claiming to possess medical or other skills
Catalan:
curandero
— one falsely claiming to possess medical or other skills
Danish:
kvaksalver
— one falsely claiming to possess medical or other skills
Dutch:
kwakzalver
— one falsely claiming to possess medical or other skills
Finnish:
puoskari
— one falsely claiming to possess medical or other skills
French:
charlatan
— one falsely claiming to possess medical or other skills
French:
marchand d'orviétan
— one falsely claiming to possess medical or other skills
French:
médicastre
— one falsely claiming to possess medical or other skills
German:
Quacksalber
— one falsely claiming to possess medical or other skills
Hungarian:
kuruzsló
— one falsely claiming to possess medical or other skills
Hungarian:
sarlatán
— one falsely claiming to possess medical or other skills
Hungarian:
vajákos
— one falsely claiming to possess medical or other skills
Italian:
ciarlatano
— one falsely claiming to possess medical or other skills
Norwegian Bokmål:
kvakksalver
— one falsely claiming to possess medical or other skills
Norwegian Nynorsk:
kvakksalvar
— one falsely claiming to possess medical or other skills
Polish:
szarlatan
— one falsely claiming to possess medical or other skills
Polish:
szarlatanka
— one falsely claiming to possess medical or other skills
Polish:
znachor
— one falsely claiming to possess medical or other skills
Polish:
znachorka
— one falsely claiming to possess medical or other skills
Polish:
konował
— one falsely claiming to possess medical or other skills
Portuguese:
charlatão
— one falsely claiming to possess medical or other skills
Russian:
шарлата́н
(šarlatán)
— one falsely claiming to possess medical or other skills
Spanish:
charlatán
— one falsely claiming to possess medical or other skills
Spanish:
curandero
— one falsely claiming to possess medical or other skills
Swedish:
kvacksalvare
— one falsely claiming to possess medical or other skills
