mountebank

1 of 2

noun

moun·te·bank ˈmau̇n-ti-ˌbaŋk How to pronounce mountebank (audio)

: a person who sells quack medicines from a platform

: a boastful unscrupulous pretender : charlatan

mountebankery

ˈmau̇n-ti-ˌbaŋ-k(ə-)rē How to pronounce mountebank (audio)

noun

mountebank

2 of 2

verb

mountebanked; mountebanking; mountebanks

transitive verb

obsolete : to beguile or transform by trickery

I'll mountebank their loves

William Shakespeare

intransitive verb

obsolete : to play the mountebank

Did you know?

Mountebank derives from the Italian montimbanco, which was formed by combining the verb "montare" ("to mount"), the preposition "in" (converted to im, meaning "in" or "on"), and the noun "banco" ("bench"). Put these components together and you can deduce the literal origins of "mountebank" as someone mounted on a bench - the "bench" being the platform on which charlatans from the 16th and 17th centuries would stand to sell their phony medicines. Mountebanks often included various forms of light entertainment on stage in order to attract customers. Later, extended uses of "mountebank" referred to someone who falsely claims to have knowledge about a particular subject or a person who simply pretends to be something he or she is not in order to gain attention.

Example Sentences

Noun a gang of swindlers and mountebanks claimed that many doctors were frauds and mountebanks

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Or does the word seem a little shifty, denoting a modern-day mountebank (another great word), bent on self-promotion, unscrupulous precisely because no special degree is required?

Will Jeakle, Forbes, 29 June 2021 American politicians, the pusillanimous and the mountebanks and even their opposites, used to be as highfalutin as Foghorn Leghorn with their gibes, which made politics fun for fans of Shakespeare, the Bible or obscure history.

oregonlive, 31 Mar. 2020 He was ignored on almost every major issue by the incredible cast of fools and mountebanks with whom the president* has surrounded himself.

Charles P. Pierce, Esquire, 13 Mar. 2018 Laying it off on senior administration officials will no longer fly given the liars, hustlers, incompetents, poseurs and mountebanks who dominate this West Wing.

David Zurawik, baltimoresun.com, 9 Mar. 2018 The Presidency has hardly been free of mountebanks and worse.

David Remnick, The New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2017

单词	mountebank
释义	mountebank 1 of 2 noun moun·te·bank ˈmau̇n-ti-ˌbaŋk 1 : a person who sells quack medicines from a platform 2 : a boastful unscrupulous pretender : charlatan mountebankery ˈmau̇n-ti-ˌbaŋ-k(ə-)rē noun mountebank 2 of 2 verb mountebanked; mountebanking; mountebanks transitive verb obsolete : to beguile or transform by trickery I'll mountebank their loves William Shakespeare intransitive verb obsolete : to play the mountebank Did you know? Mountebank derives from the Italian montimbanco, which was formed by combining the verb "montare" ("to mount"), the preposition "in" (converted to im, meaning "in" or "on"), and the noun "banco" ("bench"). Put these components together and you can deduce the literal origins of "mountebank" as someone mounted on a bench - the "bench" being the platform on which charlatans from the 16th and 17th centuries would stand to sell their phony medicines. Mountebanks often included various forms of light entertainment on stage in order to attract customers. Later, extended uses of "mountebank" referred to someone who falsely claims to have knowledge about a particular subject or a person who simply pretends to be something he or she is not in order to gain attention. Synonyms Noun charlatan fake faker fakir fraud hoaxer humbug impostor imposter phony phoney pretender quack quacksalver ringer sham See all Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Noun a gang of swindlers and mountebanks claimed that many doctors were frauds and mountebanks Recent Examples on the Web Noun Or does the word seem a little shifty, denoting a modern-day mountebank (another great word), bent on self-promotion, unscrupulous precisely because no special degree is required? Will Jeakle, Forbes, 29 June 2021 American politicians, the pusillanimous and the mountebanks and even their opposites, used to be as highfalutin as Foghorn Leghorn with their gibes, which made politics fun for fans of Shakespeare, the Bible or obscure history. oregonlive, 31 Mar. 2020 He was ignored on almost every major issue by the incredible cast of fools and mountebanks with whom the president* has surrounded himself. Charles P. Pierce, Esquire, 13 Mar. 2018 Laying it off on senior administration officials will no longer fly given the liars, hustlers, incompetents, poseurs and mountebanks who dominate this West Wing. David Zurawik, baltimoresun.com, 9 Mar. 2018 The Presidency has hardly been free of mountebanks and worse. David Remnick, The New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2017 Word History Etymology Noun Italian montimbanco, from montare to mount + in in, on + banco, banca bench First Known Use Noun 1566, in the meaning defined at sense 1 Verb circa 1616, in the meaning defined at transitive sense Medical Definition mountebank noun moun·te·bank ˈmau̇nt-i-ˌbaŋk : an itinerant hawker of pills and patent medicines especially from a platform : quack bought an unction of a mountebank Shak. mountebank noun as in fraud one who makes false claims of identity or expertise claimed that many doctors were frauds and mountebanks Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance fraud pretender charlatan sham fake deceiver quack misleader impostor faker phony fakir imposter actor phoney operator counterfeiter hoaxer humbug quacksalver dissembler ringer imitator swindler trickster poseur sharper impersonator skinner mimic copycat bluffer defrauder dodger fraudster feigner duper cozener scammer scamster sharpie sharpy Antonyms & Near Antonyms virtuoso master wizard maestro expert adept professional past master authority ace whiz crackerjack crackajack See More
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mountebank

noun

verb

Did you know?

Synonyms

Example Sentences

Word History

Medical Definition

noun

noun