mountebank

  • 1Mountebank — Mount e*bank, v. i. To play the mountebank. [1913 Webster] …

    The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • 2Mountebank — 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… …

    The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • 3mountebank — [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

  • 4Mountebank — Mount e*bank, v. t. To cheat by boasting and false pretenses; to gull. [R.] Shak. [1913 Webster] …

    The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • 5Mountebank — 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

  • 6mountebank — (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

  • 7mountebank — n *impostor, faker, charlatan, quack …

    New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • 8mountebank — [n] charlatan cheat, con man/woman*, grifter, imposter, rip off artist*, swindler; concept 412 …

    New thesaurus

  • 9mountebank — ► 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

  • 10mountebank — 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