CHARLATAN

mountebank, charlatan

(noun) a flamboyant deceiver; one who attracts customers with tricks or jokes

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Noun

charlatan (plural charlatans)

(obsolete) A mountebank, someone who addresses crowds in the street; (especially), an itinerant seller of medicines or drugs.

A malicious trickster; a fake person, especially one who deceives for personal profit.

Synonyms: trickster, swindler, Thesaurus:deceiver

Source: Wiktionary


Char"la*tan, n. Etym: [F. charlatan, fr. It. ciarlatano, fr. ciarlare to chartter, prate; of imitative origin; cf. It. zirlare to whistle like a thrush.]

Definition: One who prates much in his own favor, and makes unwarrantable pretensions; a quack; an impostor; an empiric; a mountebank.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

5 April 2025

SET

(noun) an unofficial association of people or groups; “the smart set goes there”; “they were an angry lot”


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Coffee Trivia

There are four varieties of commercially viable coffee: Arabica, Liberica, Excelsa, and Robusta. Growers predominantly plant the Arabica species. Although less popular, Robusta tastes slightly more bitter and contains more caffeine.

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