English Explanatory Dictionary

mountebank

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. One who sells dubious medicines.
  2. One who sells by deception; a con artist.
  3. Any boastful, false pretender.
  4. An acrobat.
verb
  1. To act as a mountebank.
  2. To cheat by boasting and false pretenses.

Pronunciation

/ˈmaʊntəˌbæŋk/ en-us-mountebank.ogg

Word forms

mountebank mountebanks mountebanking mountebanked

Etymology

From archaic Italian montambanco (“quack who mounts a bench to hawk his wares”), contracted from monta-in-banco (“mount on bench”).

Synonyms

charlatan conman fake quack bristler bunco artist bunco-steerer chiseler con artist confidence artist confidence trickster flimflammer grifter lugger magsman mountebank saltimbanco sharpster sharker shark-gull slicker smooth operator spiv

Related words

saltimbanco patent medicine snake oil

Derived words

mountebankery mountebankish mountebankism
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