quixotic
pronunciation
How to pronounce quixotic in British English:
UK [kwɪkˈsɒtɪk]
How to pronounce quixotic in American English:
US [kwɪkˈsɑːtɪk]
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- Adjective:
- not sensible about practical matters; unrealistic
Word Origin
- quixotic
- quixotic: [18] Quixotic commemorates Don Quixote, the hero of Cervantes’s novel of the same name (published in two parts in 1605 and 1615). He was a slightly dotty Spanish gentleman whose head became turned by tales of chivalric derring-do, which he sought to emulate in real life. His most famous exploit was to charge with his lance at windmills, under the mistaken impression that they were giants.
- quixotic (adj.)
- "extravagantly chivalrous," 1791, from Don Quixote, romantic, impractical hero of Cervantes' satirical novel "Don Quixote de la Mancha" (1605; English translation by 1620). His name literally means "thigh," also "a cuisse" (a piece of armor for the thigh), in Modern Spanish quijote, from Latin coxa "hip." Related: Quixotical; quixotically.
Example
- 1. Mr murdoch is clearly enthusiastic about his latest , quixotic newspaper war with the new york times .
- 2. That leaves him with an appreciation of both physical bookstores and e-books , and " a perhaps quixotic hope that they find positive ways to interact . "
- 3. Or was he backing down from a quixotic effort that he now knows will cost him too much support back home ?
- 4. Until recently this mostly quixotic linguistic pursuit born out of a passion for words and grammatical structures lived on little-visited web sites or in college dissertations .
- 5. Europe 's main rescue fund , the european financial stability facility , will issue partial guarantees for new sovereign debt . It will provide seed capital for new financial structures into which europe hopes to tempt sovereign-wealth funds and private investors-hopes that will prove quixotic .