English Explanatory Dictionary

charlatan

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A mountebank, someone who addresses crowds in the street; (especially), an itinerant seller of medicines or drugs.
  2. A malicious trickster; a fake person, especially one who deceives for personal profit.

Pronunciation

/ˈʃɑɹlətən/ /ˈʃɑːlətən/ En-ca-charlatan.oga

Word forms

charlatan charlatans

Etymology

From Middle French charlatan, from Old Italian ciarlatano (“quack”), a blend of ciarlatore (“chatterer”) + cerretano (“hawker, quack”, literally “native of Cerreto”) (Cerreto di Spoleto being a village in Umbria, known for its quacks).

Synonyms

trickster swindler scammer bamboozler bouncer bullshitter cheat cheater cogger cony-catcher crammer deceiver deceptor fabricator fabulist falser gabber grifter guiler liar losenger mocker pseudologist rook Scandaroon shammer Spanish athlete swike treacher trucker wernard

Related words

charlatanism charlatanry

Derived words

charlatanic charlatanical charlatanship
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