Don Quixote
[ don kee-hoh-tee, don kwik-suh t; Spanish dawn kee-haw-te ]
/ ˌdɒn kiˈhoʊ ti, dɒn ˈkwɪk sət; Spanish dɔn kiˈhɔ tɛ /
noun
the hero of a novel by Cervantes who was inspired by lofty and chivalrous but impractical ideals.
(italics)
(Don Quixote de la Mancha) the novel itself (1605 and 1615).
Definition for don quixote (2 of 2)
Quixote
[ kee-hoh-tee, kwik-suh t; Spanish kee-haw-te ]
/ kiˈhoʊ ti, ˈkwɪk sət; Spanish kiˈhɔ tɛ /
noun
Don.
Don Quixote.
British Dictionary definitions for don quixote (1 of 2)
Don Quixote
/ (ˈdɒn kiːˈhəʊtiː, ˈkwɪksət, Spanish don kiˈxote) /
noun
an impractical idealist
Word Origin for Don Quixote
after the hero of Cervantes'
Don Quixote de la Mancha
British Dictionary definitions for don quixote (2 of 2)
Cultural definitions for don quixote
Don Quixote
[ (don kee-hoh-tay, don kee-hoh-tee, don kwik-suht) ]
(1605–1615) A novel by Miguel de Cervantes. The hero, Don Quixote (don is a Spanish title of honor), loses his wits from reading too many romances and comes to believe that he is a knight destined to revive the golden age of chivalry. A tall, gaunt man in armor, he has many comical adventures with his fat squire, Sancho Panza.
notes for Don Quixote
A person who is both idealistic and impractical is often said to be “quixotic.”