mountebank
Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
mountebank /ˈmaʊntɪbaŋk/
▶noun
- 1 a person who deceives others.
- 2 historical a person who sold patent medicines in public.
– derivatives
mountebankery noun.
mountebankery noun.
– origin C16: from Ital. montambanco, from the imper. phr. monta in banco! ‘climb on the bench!’ (with allusion to the raised platform used to attract an audience).
'mountebank' also found in these Oxford entries:
