Tuesday word: Quixotic
Tuesday, December 21, 2021
Quixotic (adjective)
quix·ot·ic [kwik-sot-ik] (listen to pronunciation here)
adjective
1. (sometimes initial capital letter) resembling or befitting Don Quixote.
2. extravagantly chivalrous or romantic; visionary, impractical, or impracticable.
3. impulsive and often rashly unpredictable.
Sometimes quix·ot·i·cal .
OTHER WORDS FROM QUIXOTIC
quix·ot·i·cal·ly, adverb
half-quix·ot·ic, adjective
half-quix·ot·i·cal·ly, adverb
un·quix·ot·ic, adjective
WORDS RELATED TO QUIXOTIC
dreamy, foolish, impractical, impulsive, romantic, unrealistic, utopian, chimerical, chivalrous, dreaming, impetuous, starry-eyed, visionary
See synonyms for quixotic on Thesaurus.com
OTHER WORDS FOR QUIXOTIC
1. fanciful, fantastic, imaginary.
OPPOSITES FOR QUIXOTIC
1. realistic, practical.
HISTORICAL USAGE OF QUIXOTIC
Miguel de Cervantes’ 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, “a person inspired by lofty and chivalrous but impractical ideals.” 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 “extravagantly chivalrous or romantic; visionary or impractical,” or “impulsive and often rashly unpredictable.”
The original 17th-century spelling that Cervantes used was Quixote, at that time pronounced ki'sho?-ti (French Quichotte and Italian Chisciotte still maintain the sh- sound). In 1815 the Real Academia Española (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 (b?x) or the Scots pronunciation of loch (l?x).
To an American ear, the Don in Don Quixote may come across as the man’s 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 “gentleman,” a most appropriate description for Cervantes’ iconic hero. Don, which ultimately derives from Latin dominus “lord, master,” 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.
Origin: 1805-15; ( Don) Quixote + -ic
HOW TO USE QUIXOTIC IN A SENTENCE
Yet his goofy, quixotic, quintessentially American optimism earned the character a following.
TED LASSO AND TV'S STRANGE QUEST TO BUILD THE PERFECT MAN|JUDY BERMAN|JULY 19, 2021|TIME
For months, he was semi-mocked for the seeming quixotic quirkiness of his coffee fasts and weight loss.
NO ONE BEATS FATHER TIME, BUT PHIL MICKELSON HAS SHOWN HOW TO EXTEND THE MATCH|SALLY JENKINS|JUNE 17, 2021|WASHINGTON POST
The man who wants America to “think harder” has parlayed his quixotic presidential campaign into front-runner status in New York’s mayoral election.
THE FUTURE OF NEW YORK CITY IS IN QUESTION. COULD ANDREW YANG BE THE ANSWER? (EP. 462)|STEPHEN J. DUBNER|MAY 13, 2021|FREAKONOMICS
With cities and states charting a declining demand for doses, some have turned to these audacious, outlandish and perhaps quixotic incentives to lure in vaccine apathetes.
BEER, BOUQUETS AND FREE ROUNDS AT A GUN RANGE: HOW LOCAL GOVERNMENTS PROMOTE VACCINES|REIS THEBAULT, PAULINA FIROZI|MAY 6, 2021|WASHINGTON POST
Quixotic (adjective)
quix·ot·ic [kwik-sot-ik] (listen to pronunciation here)
adjective
1. (sometimes initial capital letter) resembling or befitting Don Quixote.
2. extravagantly chivalrous or romantic; visionary, impractical, or impracticable.
3. impulsive and often rashly unpredictable.
Sometimes quix·ot·i·cal .
OTHER WORDS FROM QUIXOTIC
quix·ot·i·cal·ly, adverb
half-quix·ot·ic, adjective
half-quix·ot·i·cal·ly, adverb
un·quix·ot·ic, adjective
WORDS RELATED TO QUIXOTIC
dreamy, foolish, impractical, impulsive, romantic, unrealistic, utopian, chimerical, chivalrous, dreaming, impetuous, starry-eyed, visionary
See synonyms for quixotic on Thesaurus.com
OTHER WORDS FOR QUIXOTIC
1. fanciful, fantastic, imaginary.
OPPOSITES FOR QUIXOTIC
1. realistic, practical.
HISTORICAL USAGE OF QUIXOTIC
Miguel de Cervantes’ 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, “a person inspired by lofty and chivalrous but impractical ideals.” 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 “extravagantly chivalrous or romantic; visionary or impractical,” or “impulsive and often rashly unpredictable.”
The original 17th-century spelling that Cervantes used was Quixote, at that time pronounced ki'sho?-ti (French Quichotte and Italian Chisciotte still maintain the sh- sound). In 1815 the Real Academia Española (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 (b?x) or the Scots pronunciation of loch (l?x).
To an American ear, the Don in Don Quixote may come across as the man’s 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 “gentleman,” a most appropriate description for Cervantes’ iconic hero. Don, which ultimately derives from Latin dominus “lord, master,” 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.
Origin: 1805-15; ( Don) Quixote + -ic
HOW TO USE QUIXOTIC IN A SENTENCE
Yet his goofy, quixotic, quintessentially American optimism earned the character a following.
TED LASSO AND TV'S STRANGE QUEST TO BUILD THE PERFECT MAN|JUDY BERMAN|JULY 19, 2021|TIME
For months, he was semi-mocked for the seeming quixotic quirkiness of his coffee fasts and weight loss.
NO ONE BEATS FATHER TIME, BUT PHIL MICKELSON HAS SHOWN HOW TO EXTEND THE MATCH|SALLY JENKINS|JUNE 17, 2021|WASHINGTON POST
The man who wants America to “think harder” has parlayed his quixotic presidential campaign into front-runner status in New York’s mayoral election.
THE FUTURE OF NEW YORK CITY IS IN QUESTION. COULD ANDREW YANG BE THE ANSWER? (EP. 462)|STEPHEN J. DUBNER|MAY 13, 2021|FREAKONOMICS
With cities and states charting a declining demand for doses, some have turned to these audacious, outlandish and perhaps quixotic incentives to lure in vaccine apathetes.
BEER, BOUQUETS AND FREE ROUNDS AT A GUN RANGE: HOW LOCAL GOVERNMENTS PROMOTE VACCINES|REIS THEBAULT, PAULINA FIROZI|MAY 6, 2021|WASHINGTON POST