mountebank

Meaning

Noun

1. One who sells dubious medicines.
2. One who sells by deception; a con artist.
3. Any boastful, false pretender.
4. (obsolete) An acrobat.

Verb

1. (intransitive) To act as a mountebank.
2. (transitive) To cheat by boasting and false pretenses.

Synonyms

charlatan

quack

quacksalver

fraud

performer of tricks

phony

impostor

actor

comedian

imposter

fake doctor

mumper

acrobat

pole-dancer

antic

circulator

fake

fortune teller

hoodwinker

humbug

pretender

rogue

swindler

Translations

charlatan

charlatán

kwakzalver

impostor

charlatão

curandeiro

bedrieger

Marktschreier

Quacksalber

impostore

capadócio

αγύρτης

ciarlatano

accaparratore

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈmaʊntəˌbæŋk/

Etymology

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