different between quixotic vs nutty

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

nut +? -y

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?n?ti/
• Rhymes: -?ti

Adjective

nutty (comparative nuttier, superlative nuttiest)

1. Containing nuts.

2. Resembling or characteristic of nuts.
   • 1997, Mary Jo Plutt, Prevention's Stop Dieting and Lose Weight Cookbook, Rodale, ?ISBN, p. 210:

     Brown rice has had only its outer hull removed, leaving it with a beige color and a a pleasantly nutty flavor.

3. Barmy, crazy, mad.

4. (Britain, dated) Extravagantly fashionable
   • 1932, Frank Richards, "The Complete Outsider", The Magnet

     Skinner's friendship with his nutty pals seemed to have come to a sudden end.

Usage notes

In sense “insane”, similar to nuts, but more limited and somewhat milder: nutty means “eccentric, insane”, while “nuts” can mean either “insane” or “enthused, agitated” (“the crowd went nuts”), for which “nutty” is not used: *“the crowd went nutty”.

Synonyms

• nuts, squirrelly
• See also Thesaurus:insane

Related terms

• nutter
• nutty as a fruitcake

Translations