quack

quack
{{11}}quack (n.) "medical charlatan," 1630s, short for quacksalver (1570s), from Du. kwaksalver, lit. "hawker of salve," from M.Du. quacken "to brag, boast," lit. "to croak" (see QUACK (Cf. quack) (v.)) + zalf "salve" (see SALVE (Cf. salve) (v.)). Cf. Ger. Quacksalber, Dan. kvaksalver, Swed. kvacksalvare.
{{12}}quack (v.) "to make a duck sound," 1610s, 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." Related: Quacked; quacking.

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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  • quack — quack·ery; quack; quack·ish; quack·ism; quack·sal·ver; quack·ster; psy·cho·quack; quack·le; quack·ish·ly; quack·ish·ness; …   English syllables

  • Quack — ist der Name von: Erhard Quack (1904–1983), deutscher Kirchenlieddichter und Komponist Friedrich Quack (* 1934), von 1982 bis 1999 Richter am deutschen Bundesgerichtshof Hendrick Peter Godfried Quack (1834–1917), niederländischer Jurist und… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Quack — Quack, a. Pertaining to or characterized by, boasting and pretension; used by quacks; pretending to cure diseases; as, a quack medicine; a quack doctor. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Quack — Quack, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Qvacked}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Quacking}.] [Of imitative origin; cf. D. kwaken, G. quacken, quaken, Icel. kvaka to twitter.] [1913 Webster] 1. To utter a sound like the cry of a duck. [1913 Webster] 2. To make vain and… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • quack|y — quack|y1 «KWAK ee», adjective. having a flat, metallic quality, resembling the quack of a duck: »Our women s voices are, on the whole, ungentle…they are pitched unpleasantly high and hardened by throat contractions into an habitual “quacky” or… …   Useful english dictionary

  • Quack — Quack, n. 1. The cry of the duck, or a sound in imitation of it; a hoarse, quacking noise. Chaucer. [1913 Webster] 2. [Cf. {Quacksalver}.] A boastful pretender to medical skill; an empiric; an ignorant practitioner. [1913 Webster] 3. Hence, one… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • quack — [adj] counterfeit bum*, dishonest, dissembling, fake, false, fraudulent, phony, pretended, pretentious, pseudo*, sham*, simulated, unprincipled; concept 582 Ant. genuine, original, real quack [n] person who pretends to be an expert actor, bum*,… …   New thesaurus

  • quack — Ⅰ. quack [1] ► NOUN ▪ the characteristic harsh sound made by a duck. ► VERB ▪ make this sound. ORIGIN imitative. Ⅱ. quack [2] ► NOUN …   English terms dictionary

  • quack|er|y — «KWAK uh ree», noun, plural er|ies. the practices or methods of a quack: »He warned against reaching into the medicine chest of economic quackery every time the slightest quiver runs through production and employment (New York Times). SYNONYM(S) …   Useful english dictionary

  • quack — index fake Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • Quack — Quack,es un célebre programa de T.V. emitido en Colombia entre 1995 y 1997, la emisión corrió a cargo de R.T.I.T.V., programadora colombiana en el Canal Uno de Inravisión y se emitió bajo el horario de las 7 p.m.; Su nombre se le alude, no solo a …   Enciclopedia Universal

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