quijote

quijote¹ thigh armour

Pronunciation

• /kiˈxote/, [kiˈxo.t̪e]^[1]

Forms

quijote m (plural quijotes)^[1]

Etymology

The word for the thigh armour is borrowed from Catalan cuixot (“thigh armour”), first adopted in the original form cuxot, found in Aragon in the fuero of 1350 and as coxotes in an Aragonese inventory of 1354.^[2][3][4][1] The Catalan word, recorded from 1280 also for the leg of trousers and for a ham, is a derivative of cuixa (“thigh”), from Latin coxa (“hip”).^[2][3][5] Corominas argues that it must be a Catalan loan, because the Latin word did not survive in Castilian as the name of the thigh while it did in Catalan, and because Castilian took many terms of armour and chivalry from Catalan.^[2] Prat Sabater lists it among the Catalan words for the dress of knights and warriors.^[6]

The change from ⟨cuix-⟩ to ⟨quix-⟩ is explained by the Catalan pronunciation, in which the ⟨i⟩ is heard before ⟨x⟩ in many dialects, and by attraction to the family of quijada and desquijarar.^[2][3] Colón doubted this, holding that the ⟨i⟩ was still silent, and Corominas rejects his objection as a confusion of spelling with pronunciation.^[2] Monlau had derived it instead from an Old Castilian cuja (“thigh”), and the Academy's dictionaries from 1884 to 1899 gave the Latin word directly, before the DLE added the Catalan step.^[7][8][9][4]

The Latin noun is continued by French cuisse, Italian coscia, Occitan cuèissa and Portuguese coxa.^[10][11][2] It goes back to *koksā and *koḱs- (“limb, joint”).^[12][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Juan Ruiz has quixotes e cañilleras “thigh pieces and greaves” in the Libro de buen amor (1330–1343, in a copy of about 1415), the first record in the DCECH and the CDH; the BDELC dates it 1335.^[2][3][13] The first text without a later copy is the ordinance of the Cortes of Burgos of 1338, which requires a man to bring his horse armed and quixotes e canilleras.^[13]

Semantic evolution

The word belongs to medieval armour: the Cortes of Toro of 1369 fix the price of a pair of quixotes with their greaves, and a translation of Lancelot of about 1414 already writes quijotes.^[13] Nebrija gives Latin femorale for it.^[2] The Academy added a sense of animal anatomy in 1843, the soft part above the buttocks of horses, mules and donkeys, which it later called the upper part of the haunches.^[14][9] The DLE now defines the armour and, mostly in the plural, the part of a horse's hindquarters between the hip and the hock.^[4] Corominas has no doubt that Cervantes thought of this piece of a knight's armour when he made Quijano take the name Quijote.^[2][3]

Timeline

• 1280 – Catalan cuixot is recorded.^[2][3]
• c. 1335 – Juan Ruiz writes quixotes e cañilleras.^[3][13]
• 1338 – the Cortes of Burgos require quixotes e canilleras of mounted men.^[13]
• 1350 – the form cuxot in the fuero of Aragon.^[2][3]
• 1354 – coxotes in an Aragonese inventory.^[2]
• c. 1414 – the spelling quijotes in the translation of Lancelot.^[13]
• 1726–1739 – the Diccionario de Autoridades defines the armour and derives it from Latin coxa.^[15]
• 1843 – the Academy adds the sense of a horse's haunch.^[14]

Meanings

Noun

1. (historical) The piece of armour (arnés) that covered the thigh, a cuisse.^[4][16]
2. (usually in the plural) The part of a horse's or mule's hindquarters between the hip and the hock (corvejón).^[4][16]

quijote² quixotic idealist

Pronunciation

• /kiˈxote/, [kiˈxo.t̪e]^[1]

Forms

quijote m (plural quijotes)^[1]

Etymology

The word for a quixotic idealist is from Spanish Quijote (“Don Quixote”), the name of Cervantes's hero Don Quijote de la Mancha, used as a common noun by allusion to him.^[4][8][16] Wiktionary analyses the name, older ⟨Quixote⟩, as Quijano with -ote.^[1] Corominas holds that Cervantes had in mind quijote¹, the piece of armour, when he chose it.^[2][3][17]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Diccionario de Autoridades gives it as the name of a ridiculously serious man, or one set on what does not concern him.^[15] Derivatives are older: quijotada is already in the second part of the Quijote, which the BDELC dates 1615, and Tirso has quijotil.^[2][3]

Semantic evolution

The early senses are mocking.^[18] The Academy in 1869 had a man ridiculously grave and serious, an overly punctilious man, and one who at all costs wants to be the judge or defender of things that do not concern him, then often with don before it; in 1884 it separated this word from the armour and gave it the etymology “by allusion to Don Quijote de la Mancha”.^[18][8] A Venezuelan writer of 1890 says that the word and its derivatives are always taken in a bad sense.^[19] The DLE now defines it favourably, as a man who like the hero puts his ideals before his own advantage and defends causes he thinks just without self-interest, and also as a tall, thin, grave man who recalls him.^[4] Moliner notes that it is generally not admiring and can be pejorative.^[16]

Timeline

• 1615 – quijotada in the second part of the Quijote.^[3][2]
• 1726–1739 – the Diccionario de Autoridades records quixote “ridiculously serious man”.^[15]
• 1813 – first record from the Americas, in Uruguay.^[19]
• 1832 – first record of quijotesco in the BDELC; the DCECH has it in the Academy's dictionary of 1843.^[3][2]
• mid-19th century – quijotismo, in Mesonero Romanos.^[2][3]
• 1884 – the Academy separates the word from the armour and explains it by allusion to Don Quijote.^[8]

Meanings

Noun

1. A man who, like Cervantes's hero, puts his ideals before his own interest and selflessly defends causes he thinks just; often ironic: Se metió a quijote y acabó pagando la multa de su vecino.^[4][16][1]
2. A tall, thin and grave man whose look and character recall the hero.^[4]

Word family

• quijotada
• quijotería
• quijotesco
• quijotismo