charlatan

A charlatan is a person who pretends to have expert knowledge or skills in order to mislead others, typically for personal gain. Charlatans promote claims about medical treatments, scientific or spiritual capabilities, or other services by using confident rhetoric, forged credentials, testimonials, or superficially plausible yet false justifications. The term connotes deliberate deception and potential harm to those who are misled.

Etymology and usage: The word derives from the Italian ciarlatano, meaning a chatterbox or mountebank, from ciarlare meaning “to chatter.” It entered English via French charlatan and has been used since the 17th century to describe frauds posing as experts.

Contexts and examples: Charlatanry is most often discussed in medicine and health, including patent medicines, miracle cures, and pseudo-scientific therapies, but can also arise in finance, religion, or self-help. The label is typically contrasted with legitimate professionals, and is related to terms such as quack, con artist, and fraud.

See also: The concept has been observed throughout history in various domains, and modern discussions emphasize evidence, reproducibility, and transparency about credentials and methods to distinguish genuine expertise from charlatanry.