Mountebank
- Mountebank Mount"e*bank, n. [It. montimbanco, montambanco;
montare to mount + in in, upon + banco bench. See {Mount},
and 4th {Bank}.]
1. One who mounts a bench or stage in the market or other
public place, boasts of his skill in curing diseases, and
vends medicines which he pretends are infallible remedies;
a quack doctor.
[1913 Webster]
Such is the weakness and easy credulity of men, that a mountebank . . . is preferred before an able physician. --Whitlock. [1913 Webster]
2. Any boastful or false pretender; a charlatan; a quack. [1913 Webster]
Nothing so impossible in nature but mountebanks will undertake. --Arbuthnot. [1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.
Look at other dictionaries:
Mountebank — Mount e*bank, v. i. To play the mountebank. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
mountebank — [mount′ə baŋk΄] n. [It montambanco < montare,MOUNT2 + in, on + banco, a bench: see BANK1] 1. Archaic a person who mounted a bench, or platform, in a public place and sold quack medicines, usually attracting an audience by tricks, stories, etc … English World dictionary
Mountebank — Mount e*bank, v. t. To cheat by boasting and false pretenses; to gull. [R.] Shak. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Mountebank — may refer to: Charlatan, a swindler Monte Bank, a card game Three card Monte, a confidence game The Mountebanks, a comic opera by Alfred Cellier and W. S. Gilbert This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an … Wikipedia
mountebank — (n.) a doctor that mounts a bench in the market, and boasts his infallible remedies and cures [Johnson], 1570s, from It. montambanco, contraction of monta in banco quack, juggler, lit. mount on bench (to be seen by crowd), from monta, imperative… … Etymology dictionary
mountebank — n *impostor, faker, charlatan, quack … New Dictionary of Synonyms
mountebank — [n] charlatan cheat, con man/woman*, grifter, imposter, rip off artist*, swindler; concept 412 … New thesaurus
mountebank — ► NOUN ▪ a swindler. ORIGIN originally meaning a person who sold patent medicines in public places : from Italian monta in banco! climb on the bench! , with allusion to the raised platform used by mountebanks to attract an audience … English terms dictionary
mountebank — 1. noun /ˈmaʊntəˌbæŋk/ a) One who sells dubious medicines There is nothing so impossible in Nature but mountebanks will undertake; nothing so incredible but they will affirm. John Bull b) One who sells by deception; a con artist; a charlatan.… … Wiktionary
mountebank — I. noun Etymology: Italian montimbanco, from montare to mount + in in, on + banco, banca bench Date: 1577 1. a person who sells quack medicines from a platform 2. a boastful unscrupulous pretender ; charlatan • mountebankery noun II … New Collegiate Dictionary
