quack

English

Pronunciation

• (deprecated use of |lang= parameter) IPA^(key): /kwæk/
• (deprecated use of |lang= parameter)

  Audio (US)

  (file)

• (deprecated use of |lang= parameter) Rhymes: -æk

Etymology 1

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Middle English *(deprecated template usage) quacken, (deprecated template usage) queken, from (deprecated template usage) quack, (deprecated template usage) qwacke, (deprecated template usage) quek, (deprecated template usage) queke (interjection and noun), also (deprecated template usage) kek, (deprecated template usage) keke, (deprecated template usage) whec-, partly of imitative origin and partly from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Middle Dutch (deprecated template usage) quacken, from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Old Dutch *(deprecated template usage) kwaken, from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Proto-Germanic *kwakaną, *kwakōną (“to croak”), of imitative origin. Cognate with (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Saterland Frisian (deprecated template usage) kwoakje, (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Middle Low German (deprecated template usage) quaken, (deprecated template usage) [etyl] German (deprecated template usage) quaken, (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Danish (deprecated template usage) kvække, (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Swedish (deprecated template usage) kväka, (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Norwegian (deprecated template usage) kvekke, (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Icelandic (deprecated template usage) kvaka.

Noun

quack (plural quacks)

1. The sound made by a duck.

   Did you hear that duck make a quack?

Translations

sound made by a duck

• Arabic: بطبطة f (baṭbaṭa)
• Danish: rap (da) n
• Dutch: kwak (nl)
• Estonian: prääks (et)
• Faroese: gvagg, kvagg
• Finnish: kvaak
• French: coin-coin (fr)
• German: Quaken n
• Greek: πα πα (pa pa) (pa pa)
• Hungarian: háp
• Icelandic: andagagg n, guss n
• Irish: vrác n
• Italian: qua qua m
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Japanese: ガー ガー (gā-gā), クェッ クェッ (quek-quek), クワッ クワッ (quwak-quwak)
• Macedonian: квак (kvák)
• Malay: wak
• Maori: keakea, kēkē
• Polish: kwa (pl)
• Portuguese: quac m
• Romanian: mac (ro), mac-mac, măcăit (ro) n, măcănit (ro) n, măcăitură (ro) f
• Russian: кря-кря (kr'a-kr'a), кряканье (ru) n (kr'ákan'je)
• Spanish: cuac m
• Swedish: kvack (sv) n
• Turkish: vak (tr)

Verb

quack (third-person singular simple present quacks, present participle quacking, simple past and past participle quacked)

1. To make a noise like a duck.

   The more breadcrumbs I threw on the ground, the more they quacked.

   Do you hear the ducks quack?

Derived terms

• quack like a duck‎

Translations

to make a noise like a duck

• Arabic:

  Egyptian Arabic: يكاكي (yekaaki)

• Danish: rappe
• Dutch: kwaken (nl)
• Finnish: vaakkua (fi)
• French: cancaner (fr)
• German: quaken (de)
• Hungarian: hápog (hu)
• Icelandic: gagga, gussa
• Interlingua: quaccar
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: ^{(please verify)} fare qua qua
• Japanese: (duck) ガーガーと鳴く (gā-gā to naku), (colloquial, human) ガヤガヤしゃべる (gayagaya shaberu)
• Maori: keakea, kēkē
• Polish: kwakać (pl)
• Portuguese: grasnar (pt), grasnir, grassitar, gracitar
• Romanian: măcăi (ro)
• Russian: крякать impf (kr'ákat’), крякнуть pf (kr'áknut’)
• Spanish: ^{(please verify)} decir cuac
• Swedish: kvacka (sv)
• Turkish: vaklamak

Etymology 2

c 1630, shortening of quacksalver, from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Middle Dutch (deprecated template usage) kwaksalver ((deprecated template usage) [etyl] Dutch (deprecated template usage) kwakzalver), from (deprecated template usage) quacken

Noun

quack (plural quacks)

1. A fraudulent healer or incompetent professional, especially a doctor of medicine; an impostor who claims to have qualifications to practice medicine.

   That doctor is nothing but a lousy quack!

   Polly (to security guard, referring to Dr. Feingarten): Are you going to let that shyster in there?

   Dr. Feingarten: I could sue you, Polly. A shyster is a disreputable lawyer. I'm a quack.

   - From the motion picture SOB

   • 1662: Rump: or an Exact Collection of the Choycest Poems and Songs Relating to Late Times, Vol. II, by ‘the most Eminent Wits’

     Tis hard to say, how much these Arse-wormes do urge us, We now need no Quack but these Jacks for to purge us, [...]

   • 1720: William Derham, Physico-theology

     After ſome Months, the Quack gets privately to Town, [...]

   • 1843, Thomas Carlyle, Past and Present, book 2, ch. 8, The Electon

     ‘if we are ourselves valets, there shall ‘exist no hero for us; we shall not know the hero when we see him;’ - we shall take the quack for a hero; and cry, audibly through all ballot-boxes and machinery whatsoever, Thou art he; be thou King over us!

2. A charlatan.
3. Carlyle

   • Quacks political; quacks scientific, academical.

4. (deprecated template usage) (slang) A doctor.

Synonyms

• See also Wikisaurus:deceiver

Derived terms

• quackhood

Translations

fraudulent or incompetent doctor of medicine

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 庸醫／庸医 (yōngyī), 庸医 (zh) (yōngyī)

• Danish: kvaksalver c
• Dutch: kwakzalver (nl) m
• Finnish: puoskari (fi)
• French: charlatan (fr) m
• German: Quacksalber (de) m
• Greek: κομπογιαννίτης (el) m (kompogiannítis) (kompoyannítis), αλμπάνης (el) m (almpánis) (albánis)
• Icelandic: skottulæknir (is) m
• Indonesian: dukun (id)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Indonesian: dukun (id)
• Italian: ^{(please verify)} ciarlatano (it) m, ^{(please verify)} medico empirico m
• Japanese: やぶ医者 (yabuisha), もぐりの医者 (moguri no isha)
• Jèrriais:
• Piedmontese: charlatão m
• Polish: konował (pl) m
• Portuguese: mata-sanos (pt) m or f
• Russian: шарлатан (ru) m (šarlatán)
• Spanish: matasanos (es) m
• Swedish: kvacksalvare (sv) c

charlatan

• Armenian: շառլատան (šaṙlatan)
• Dutch: kwakzalver (nl) m, charlatan m
• Finnish: huijari (fi)
• French: charlatan (fr) m
• German: Quacksalber (de) m
• Greek: τσαρλατάνος (el) m (tsarlatános) (tsarlatános)
• Icelandic: fúskari (is) m, loddari (is) m, falsari m, svikari m
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: ciarlatano (it) m, imbonitore m, pataccaro m
• Japanese: ペテン師 (peten-shi)
• Polish: szarlatan m
• Portuguese: charlatão (pt) m
• Russian: шарлатан (ru) m (šarlatán)
• Spanish: charlatán (es) m

doctor

• Italian: mediconzolo
• Polish: medyk (pl) m
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Portuguese: curandeiro (pt) m
• Spanish: curandero m

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• French: (4) ^{(please verify)} toubib m
• Indonesian: (1) ^{(please verify)} kwek-kwek, (2, 3) ^{(please verify)} gadungan
• Interlingua: (1) ^{(please verify)} quac
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Romanian: (1) ^{(please verify)} mac m, ^{(please verify)} șarlatan m
• Spanish: ^{(please verify)} curandero m, ^{(please verify)} matasanos m

Verb

quack (third-person singular simple present quacks, present participle quacking, simple past and past participle quacked)

1. To practice or commit quackery.
2. (deprecated template usage) (obsolete) To make vain and loud pretensions; to boast.
   • Hudibras

     To quack of universal cures.

Translations

commit quackery

• Dutch: kwakzalveren
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

Adjective

quack (not comparable)

1. falsely presented as having medicinal powers.

   Don't get your hopes up; that's quack medicine!

Translations

falsely presented as having medicinal powers

• Icelandic: svika-, fals-, skottu-
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: empirico (it)