Quacksalving

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. The fraudulent practice of pretending to have medical knowledge or skill in order to sell fake remedies or treatments
2. the practice of deceiving people by falsely claiming medical expertise and selling worthless or harmful remedies for profit
3. fraudulent medical charlatanism involving deceptive claims about nonexistent healing abilities to market bogus treatments

Etymology: The "quack" in quacksalving has nothing to do with ducks. It comes from Dutch "kwakzalver," where "kwakken" meant to boast or brag and "zalf" meant ointment. A kwakzalver was a travelling seller who promised his salves would cure nearly anything. English borrowed the noun as "quacksalver," which came to mean someone who sold remedies while posing as a skilled physician. English then formed the verb "quacksalve" from that noun, and "quacksalving" is its present participle, describing the act of pretending to medical expertise.