quack
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noun
1.
the harsh, throaty cry of a duck or any similar sound.
verb (used without object)
2.
to utter the cry of a duck or a sound resembling it.
Origin:
1610–20; imitative; compare Dutch kwakken, German quacken
1610–20; imitative; compare Dutch kwakken, German quacken
Dictionary.com Unabridged
noun
1.
a fraudulent or ignorant pretender to medical skill.
2.
a person who pretends, professionally or publicly, to skill, knowledge, or qualifications he or she does not possess; a charlatan.
adjective
3.
being a quack: a quack psychologist who complicates everyone's problems.
4.
presented falsely as having curative powers: quack medicine.
5.
of, pertaining to, or befitting a quack or quackery: quack methods.
verb (used with object)
6.
to treat in the manner of a quack.
7.
to advertise or sell with fraudulent claims.
Related forms
quack·ish, adjective
quack·ish·ly, adverb
quack·ish·ness, noun
Synonyms
2. mountebank, phony.
2. mountebank, phony.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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|
Link To quack
00:10
Quack
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is bowdlerise. Does it mean:
| to chew (food) slowly and thoroughly. |
| to expurgate (a written work) by removing or modifying passages considered vulgar or objectionable. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
quack1 (kwæk) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —vb | |
| 1. | (of a duck) to utter a harsh guttural sound |
| 2. | to make a noise like a duck |
| —n | |
| 3. | the harsh guttural sound made by a duck |
| [C17: of imitative origin; related to Dutch kwakken, German quacken] | |
| quack2 (kwæk) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a. an unqualified person who claims medical knowledge or other skills |
| b. (as modifier): a quack doctor | |
| 2. | informal (Brit), (Austral), (NZ) a doctor; physician or surgeon |
| —vb | |
| 3. | (intr) to act in the manner of a quack |
| [C17: short for | |
| 'quackish2 | |
| —adj | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
quack
"to make a duck sound," 1617, quelke, of echoic origin (cf. M.Du. quacken, O.C.S. kvakati, L. coaxare "to croak," Gk. koax "the croaking of frogs," Hitt. akuwakuwash "frog"). M.E. on the quakke (14c.) meant "hoarse, croaking."
quack
"medical charlatan," 1638, short for quacksalver (1579), from Du. kwaksalver, lit. "hawker of salve," from M.Du. quacken "to brag, boast," lit. "to croak" (see quack (v.)) + zalf "salve." Cf. Ger. Quacksalber, Dan. kvaksalver, Swed. kvacksalvare.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary
quack (kwāk)
n.
An untrained person who pretends to be a physician and dispenses medical advice and treatment.
A charlatan.
quack'er·y n.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Slang Dictionary
quack definition
|
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Example sentences
Grown scientists trying to add an emotional boost to an already discredited quack science.
Quack medicine seems to work, because people take it when they are sick.
What universities of this type are doing is equivalent to quack medicine.
Wright read medical reports that the horse serum was a quack remedy.
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