Etymology Explorer › German

Where does “Quacksalber” come from?

Quacksalber (German) comes from Dutch kwakzalver, from Dutch kwakzalven, from Dutch zalven, from Middle Dutch salven, from Old Dutch salvon, from Old Saxon salbon, from Proto-Germanic salbōną, from Proto-Germanic -ōną — he, she.

Quacksalber (German): quack, quacksalver

Definitions

  1. quack, quacksalver

Ancestry of “Quacksalber”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1DutchkwakzalverA quacksalver, fake healer; A swindler, cheater,...
2Dutchkwakzalven—
3Dutchzalvento anoint
4Middle Dutchsalven—
5Old Dutchsalvonto anoint
6Old Saxonsalbon—
7Proto-Germanicsalbōnąto salve, to anoint
8Proto-Germanic-ōnąCreates denominative verbs from nouns; Creates...
9Proto-Indo-European-eh₂yétiCreates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive...
10Proto-Indo-European-yétiCreates intransitive, often deponent,...
11Proto-Indo-Europeanyé-—
12Chichewaiyehe, she

Words derived from “Quacksalber”

  • Quacksalberei
Every word from Chichewa iye →