charlatan

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a person who falsely claims to have special knowledge or skill, usually in order to deceive others

   The supposed investment expert was exposed as a charlatan with no financial training.

2. 2
   noun

   historically, an itinerant seller of supposed medicines or remedies

   The charlatan drew a crowd by promising that his tonic could cure every illness.

From French charlatan, from Italian ciarlatano ("quack"), associated with ciarlare ("to chatter, babble"); it has also been explained as influenced by cerretano, a hawker or supposed healer from Cerreto. The early English sense was a travelling seller of sham remedies, later broadened to anyone who falsely claims expertise.

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