Where does “quacksalver” come from?
quacksalver (English) comes from Dutch quacksalver, from Middle Dutch quacsalven, from Middle Dutch salve, from Old Dutch salva, from Proto-West Germanic salbu, from Proto-Germanic salbō, from Proto-Indo-European solp-éh₂, from Proto-Indo-European selp- — fat, oil.
quacksalver (English): One falsely claiming to possess medical or other...
Definitions
- One falsely claiming to possess medical or other...
Ancestry of “quacksalver”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dutch | quacksalver | a hawker of salve |
| 2 | Middle Dutch | quacsalven | — |
| 3 | Middle Dutch | salve | ointment, salve |
| 4 | Old Dutch | salva | salve, ointment |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | salbu | salve, ointment |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | salbō | salve, ointment |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | solp-éh₂ | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | selp- | fat, oil |