quacksalvern.

Etymology: < early modern Dutch quacksalver person who cures with home remedies (1543; Dutch kwakzalver ), further etymology uncertain: perhaps either < kwak scrap, remainder, rubbish (although this is first attested later: 1599 in Kiliaan as quack ; < kwakken to fling down, apparently ultimately of imitative origin) + zalver person who cures by using ointments (16th cent.; < zalven to rub with ointment (16th cent.; < zalf : see salve n.¹)), or < kwakzalven to use or sell false cures (although this is first attested later: 1573 as quacsaluen ; either < kwak (as above) + zalf (as above), or < †kwakzalf salve used as a home remedy (although this is first attested slightly later: 1578)). Compare Middle Dutch quacsalven , noun (1392 in an isolated attestation in uncertain sense, apparently ‘home remedy’ or ‘curing with home remedies’, apparently showing either a plural noun or use as noun of a verb infinitive). Compare German Quacksalber (16th cent.), Swedish kvacksalvare (17th cent.), Danish kvaksalver (18th cent.). Compare quack n.²An alternative explanation of the word interprets the first element as early modern Dutch quacken (Dutch kwaken ) to squawk, chatter, boast, figurative use of quacken (Dutch kwaken ) to quack, croak (see quack v.¹), apparently with reference to quacksalvers aggressively promoting their cures. With quacksalvery n. at Derivatives compare Dutch kwakzalverij (1599 in Kiliaan as quack-saluerije), German Quacksalberei (17th cent.).