Etymology Explorer › Middle French

Where does “charlatan” come from?

charlatan (Middle French) comes from Old Italian ciarlatano — quack.

charlatan (Middle French): a street-seller of medicines

Definitions

  1. a street-seller of medicines

Ancestry of “charlatan”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Italianciarlatanoquack

Words derived from “charlatan”

  • charlatan
  • charlatanism
  • charlatanry
  • charlatanic
  • charlatanical
  • charlatanically
Every word from Old Italian ciarlatano →