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# The word charlatan changed from meaning a street vendor to meaning a deceiver
- URL: https://theparnassian.com/en/oba-eti-izobrazheniia-nazyvaiutsia-sharlatan/
- Published: 2022-10-10T05:30:40.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-02T18:52:28.000Z
- Author: Alexandr Radayev
- Tags: Art, Mores

Both of these images are called "The Charlatan". The word, derived from the verb "ciarlare", to chatter, to speak in a pompous manner, originally denoted street vendors who drew attention to their wares with colourful patter, wares that were often connected with the prolongation of life, the strengthening of health and the preservation of beauty. In time the word "charlatan" came to be used exclusively for a person who deceives others for gain

![](https://theparnassian.com/content/images/2026/09/photo_7629@10-10-2022_08-30-40.jpg)