Quixotry
/ˈkwɪksətri/noun
Behavior characterized by impractical idealism, romantic adventures, or misguided attempts to achieve noble aims.
Did you know?Quixotry derives from Don Quixote, whose name entered English as a symbol of grand, sincere, and disastrously unrealistic idealism.
Etymological Timeline
16th Century
Spanish
Quijote
“The surname of Don Quixote in Miguel de Cervantes’s novel; its deeper origin is uncertain, though it has been linked to a term for a piece of thigh armor.”
1605
Spanish
Don Quijote
“The central character of Cervantes’s novel, a would-be knight whose idealism repeatedly collides with reality.”
17th Century
English
Quixote
“A person resembling Don Quixote, especially through impractical or extravagantly idealistic behavior.”
18th Century
English
quixotic
“Romantically idealistic but impractical; derived from the character’s name.”
19th Century
English
quixotry
“Quixotic behavior or conduct; a noun formed from quixotic patterns in English.”
Modern English
English
quixotry
“The pursuit of noble but unrealistic schemes, often with comic or misguided determination.”