charlatan

[ shahr-luh-tn ]

noun

1. a person who pretends or claims to have more knowledge or skill than they possess; fraud; quack.

   Synonyms: phony, fake, fraud, mountebank, impostor

charlatan

/ ˈʃɑːlətən /

noun

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

Derived Forms

• ˈcharlatanˌism, noun
• ˌcharlatanˈistic, adjective

Other Words From

• char·la·tan·ic [shahr-l, uh, -, tan, -ik], char·la·tan·i·cal char·la·tan·ish char·la·tan·is·tic adjective
• char·la·tan·i·cal·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of charlatan¹

First recorded in 1595–1605; from Middle French, from 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of charlatan¹

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

Related Words

• con artist