quixotryn.
/ˈkwɪksətri/, /ˈkwɪksəʊtri/, U.S. /ˈkwiksətri/ = quixotism n.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > perception or cognition > faculty of imagination > faculty of conceiving ideals > tendency towards romance > romantic conduct > [noun]
quixotism1620
windmill1645
errantry1654
knight-errantry1660
quixotry1703
Don 'Quixotism1719
romance1745
quixoticism1850
1703 P. Motteux et al. tr. M. de Cervantes Hist. Don Quixote III. iv. 38 Many..cry out, give us more Quixot'ry [Sp. más quijotadas].
1759 Let. from Duchess of M—r—gh, in the Shades 72 I have seen again the same people..adopt, under another minister, not only his political Quixotry..but the grossest of his inconsistencies.
1819 W. Scott Drama in Encycl. Brit.: Suppl. 4th–6th Eds. III. ii. 667/1 An adventurous spirit of profligate Quixotry.
1873 H. Rogers Superhuman Origin Bible (1874) 411 We may wait for such an objector before indulging in the equal Quixotry of confuting him.
1915 Syracuse (N. Y.) Herald 14 Feb. 5/3 Consider how fantastic and improbable that scheme must have looked and think of the stupendous quixotry of it.
1933 G. Heyer Why shoot Butler? iii. 43 He cursed himself for his rash, unaccustomed quixotry in shielding..the girl.
1975 Daily Tel. 5 Apr. 9/1 His loyalties were often pushed to the same point of quixotry that marked his political attitudes.
2003 Times (Nexis) 1 Mar. 1 The stage seems set for a miraculous English victory... But we need a bit of quixotry in life, do we not?
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2008; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1703