Don Quixote

[ don kee-hoh-tee, don kwik-suht; Spanish dawn kee-haw-te ]

noun

1. the hero of a novel by Cervantes who was inspired by lofty and chivalrous but impractical ideals.
2. (italics) ( Don Quixote de la Mancha ) the novel itself (1605 and 1615).

Don Quixote

/ ˈkwɪksət; don kiˈxote; ˈdɒn kiːˈhəʊtiː /

noun

1. an impractical idealist

Don Quixote

1. (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

A person who is both idealistic and impractical is often said to be “quixotic.”

Word History and Origins

Origin of Don Quixote¹

after the hero of Cervantes' Don Quixote de la Mancha

Example Sentences

DePrince seemingly knew no bounds on stage as she executed pieces — from ballet classics including “Don Quixote,” “Swan Lake” and “Coppélia” to George Balanchine‘s “Who Cares” and “Jewels” — with undeniable grace, strength and precision.

From Los Angeles Times

Donald Trump isn’t exactly Don Quixote, but he does have a thing against windmills.

From Seattle Times

The “Don Quixote” was pure Dudamel, conveying narrative nuance in Strauss’ chronicle of the knight of “sorrowful countenance.”

From Los Angeles Times

Could he, the mighty Mexican American playwright from El Paso, adapt Miguel de Cervantes’ ‘Don Quixote’?

From Los Angeles Times

He was the perfect dog to accompany a famous author traveling incognito in a camper named after Don Quixote’s horse.

From Salon

Related Words

• dreamer
• idealist
• prophet
• romantic
• seer
• theorist
• zealot