saltimbanco

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian saltimbanco. Used thus in English because of the association with street performers, seen by the settled population in English-speaking culture as not to be trusted. A more usual and more accurate English word, derived from similar sources, is mountebank.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sæltɪmˈbæŋkəʊ/

Noun

saltimbanco (plural saltimbancos)

1. A quack doctor, a fraud.

   Synonyms: mountebank, quack

Related terms

• mountebank

Italian

Alternative forms

• saltambanco (uncommon)

Etymology

Univerbation of salta +‎ in +‎ banco, literally “leap (or somersault) on the bench”. Compare Sicilian sautavancu.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sal.timˈban.ko/
• Rhymes: -anko
• Hyphenation: sal‧tim‧bàn‧co

Noun

saltimbanco m (plural saltimbanchi, feminine saltimbanca)

1. acrobat

   Synonyms: acrobata, funambolo, giocoliere

2. (figurative, derogatory) charlatan

   Synonyms: ciarlatano, (archaic) montambanco

Descendants

• → English: saltimbanco
• → French: saltimbanque
  • → English: saltimbanque
• → Portuguese: saltimbanco
• → Spanish: saltimbanqui
• → Greek: σαλτιμπάγκος (saltimpágkos)

Spanish

Noun

saltimbanco m (plural saltimbancos)

1. Alternative form of saltimbanqui

Further reading

• “saltimbanco”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.7, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2023 November 28