different between quixotic vs insane

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish Quixote, the surname of Don Quixote, the titular character in the novel by Miguel de Cervantes, +? -ic.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /kw?k?s?t?k/
• (US) IPA^(key): /kw?k?s?t?k/, /kw???z?t?k/, /ki??z?t?k/
• (rare) IPA^(key): /ki??t?k/
• Rhymes: -?t?k

Adjective

quixotic (comparative more quixotic, superlative most quixotic)

1. Possessing or acting with the desire to do noble and romantic deeds, without thought of realism and practicality; exceedingly idealistic.
2. Impulsive.
3. Like Don Quixote; romantic to extravagance; absurdly chivalric; apt to be deluded.

Usage notes

Although the term is derived from the name of the character Don Quixote, the letters qu and x are both read as is usual for English spelling (/kw/ and /ks/), possibly due to analogy with exotic. In "Don Quixote", by contrast, the pronunciation more closely resembles the modern Spanish (/k/ and /h~x/).

Derived terms

• quixotically

Translations

English

Etymology

From Latin ?ns?nus (“unsound in mind; mad, insane”), from in- + s?nus (“sound, sane”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?n?se?n/
• Rhymes: -e?n

Adjective

insane (comparative more insane or insaner, superlative most insane or insanest)

1. Exhibiting unsoundness or disorder of mind; not sane; mad

   Synonyms: delirious, distracted

   • What is the cause of insanity? Nobody can answer such a sweeping question as that, but we know that certain diseases, such as syphilis, break down and destroy the brain cells and result in insanity. In fact, about one-half of all mental diseases can be attributed to such physical causes as brain lesions, alcohol, toxins, and injuries. But the other half—and this is the appalling part of the story—the other half of the people who go insane apparently have nothing organically wrong with their brain cells. In post-mortem examinations, when their brain tissues are studied under the highest-powered microscopes, they are found to be apparently just as healthy as yours and mine. Why do these people go insane?

2. Used by, or appropriated to, insane persons

3. Causing insanity or madness.
4. Characterized by insanity or the utmost folly; ridiculous; impractical

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:insane

Antonyms

• sane

Derived terms

• insanely

Related terms

• insanity

Translations

Further reading

• insane in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• insane in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• insane at OneLook Dictionary Search

Anagrams

• Annies, Sannie, Sienna, inanes, nenias, sannie, sienna

French

Etymology

From English insane

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??.san/

Adjective

insane (plural insanes)

1. crazy
2. foolish

Further reading

• “insane” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Italian

Adjective

insane f pl

1. feminine plural of insano

Latin

Adjective

?ns?ne

1. vocative masculine singular of ?ns?nus

References

• insane in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• insane in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• insane in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré Latin-Français, Hachette