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quixotic
[ kwik-sot-ik ]
/ kwÉŞkËsÉt ÉŞk /
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adjective
extravagantly chivalrous or romantic; visionary, impractical, or impracticable.
impulsive and often rashly unpredictable.
(sometimes initial capital letter) resembling or befitting Don Quixote.
OTHER WORDS FOR quixotic
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Origin of quixotic
First recorded in 1805â15; (Don) Quixote + -ic
historical usage of quixotic
Miguel de Cervantesâ novel El Ingenioso Hidalgo Don Quixote de la Mancha ( The Ingenious Gentleman Sir Quixote of La Mancha ), or simply, in English, Don Quixote, was published in two parts, in 1605 and 1615. Full or partial translations of the first part of Don Quixote appeared in English (and French, Italian, and German) by 1612. An English translation of the second part appeared in 1620.
By 1644 Quixote was used as a common noun, that is, âa person inspired by lofty and chivalrous but impractical ideals.â The derivative adjective quixotic, which applies to both persons and actions, appears in the first half of the 18th century. Quixotic has always been ambivalent in its meaning, whether âextravagantly chivalrous or romantic; visionary or impractical,â or âimpulsive and often rashly unpredictable.â
The original 17th-century spelling that Cervantes used was Quixote, at that time pronounced kiËshoĘ-ti (French Quichotte and Italian Chisciotte still maintain the sh- sound). In 1815 the Real Academia EspaĂąola (Royal Spanish Academy) officially changed the spellings of words with x to j to match the change of the sh- sound to the modern Castilian x- sound, as in Johann Sebastian Bach (bÉx) or the Scots pronunciation of loch (lÉx).
To an American ear, the Don in Don Quixote may come across as the manâs first name, but that is certainly not the case here. In Spanish, don is used as a title of respect and as a common noun meaning âgentleman,â a most appropriate description for Cervantesâ iconic hero. Don, which ultimately derives from Latin dominus âlord, master,â is also familiar as the courtesy title of the head of a crime family or syndicate, especially the Mafia (as in Don Corleone). Don evokes courtesy and respect in England as well, where it is used colloquially at Oxbridge for a head, fellow, or tutor of a college.
By 1644 Quixote was used as a common noun, that is, âa person inspired by lofty and chivalrous but impractical ideals.â The derivative adjective quixotic, which applies to both persons and actions, appears in the first half of the 18th century. Quixotic has always been ambivalent in its meaning, whether âextravagantly chivalrous or romantic; visionary or impractical,â or âimpulsive and often rashly unpredictable.â
The original 17th-century spelling that Cervantes used was Quixote, at that time pronounced kiËshoĘ-ti (French Quichotte and Italian Chisciotte still maintain the sh- sound). In 1815 the Real Academia EspaĂąola (Royal Spanish Academy) officially changed the spellings of words with x to j to match the change of the sh- sound to the modern Castilian x- sound, as in Johann Sebastian Bach (bÉx) or the Scots pronunciation of loch (lÉx).
To an American ear, the Don in Don Quixote may come across as the manâs first name, but that is certainly not the case here. In Spanish, don is used as a title of respect and as a common noun meaning âgentleman,â a most appropriate description for Cervantesâ iconic hero. Don, which ultimately derives from Latin dominus âlord, master,â is also familiar as the courtesy title of the head of a crime family or syndicate, especially the Mafia (as in Don Corleone). Don evokes courtesy and respect in England as well, where it is used colloquially at Oxbridge for a head, fellow, or tutor of a college.
OTHER WORDS FROM quixotic
Words nearby quixotic
quiverful, quivering, quiver leg, qui vive, Quixote, quixotic, quixotism, quiz, quiz kid, quizmaster, quiz program
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Š Random House, Inc. 2022
How to use quixotic in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for quixotic
quixotic
/ (kwÉŞkËsÉtÉŞk) /
adjective
preoccupied with an unrealistically optimistic or chivalrous approach to life; impractically idealistic
Derived forms of quixotic
quixotically, adverbquixotism (ËkwÉŞksÉËtÉŞzÉm), nounWord Origin for quixotic
C18: after Don Quixote
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
Š William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 Š HarperCollins
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