chimera

American  

[kahy-meer-uh] / kaɪˈmɪər ə /

Or chimaera

noun

plural

chimeras

1. Greek Mythology. Often Chimera a fire-breathing monster, commonly represented with a lion's head, a goat's body, and a serpent's tail.

2. any grotesque monster having disparate parts, as depicted or described in art, legend, fantasy fiction, video games, etc.

3. a strange, horrible, or impossible idea or figment of the imagination.

   He is far different from the chimera your fears have made of him.

   Without equality, unity is a chimera.

   Synonyms:

   delusion, fantasy, dream

4. anything created by taking parts or aspects of different kinds of things and combining them.

   We are like an audio-art chimera, in that we act as part literary journal, part music showcase, and part storytelling podcast.

5. Genetics. an organism composed of two or more genetically distinct tissues, such as one produced artificially by combining cells or tissues from different species.

   Chimeras were generated by splicing West Nile and Zika viruses into the genetic backbone of two different insect-specific viruses.

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adjective

1. being or relating to a chimera or chimeras.

   The chimera embryos used in this research are sheep embryos containing human cells.

chimera British  

/ kɪ-, kaɪˈmɪərə /

noun

1. (often capital) Greek myth a fire-breathing monster with the head of a lion, body of a goat, and tail of a serpent

2. a fabulous beast made up of parts taken from various animals

3. a wild and unrealistic dream or notion

4. biology an organism, esp a cultivated plant, consisting of at least two genetically different kinds of tissue as a result of mutation, grafting, etc

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chimera Cultural  

1. A monster in classical mythology who had the head of a lion, the body of a goat, and the tail of a dragon or serpent.

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Discover More

Figuratively, a “chimera” is a creation of the imagination, especially a wild creation.

Other Word Forms

• chimaeric
  adjective
• chimaerism
  noun
• chimeric
  adjective
• chimerism
  noun

Etymology

Origin of chimera

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English chimera, from Latin chimaera, from Greek chímaira “she-goat,” from chímaros “he-goat,” perhaps originally “animal one winter old”; akin to Old Norse gymbr, English gimmer “ewe-lamb one year (i.e., one winter) old,” Latin hiems “winter” ( see hiemal), Greek cheîma “winter cold” ( see isocheim)

Explanation

A chimera is something you’ve imagined that’s bits and pieces of other things mashed together into a new horrible fantasy, something impossible in real life that only exists in your mind. In Greek mythology, a chimera is a monster that has a lion’s head, a goat’s body, and a serpent’s tail. And it breathes fire. No creature like that has ever existed, but the idea seemed real and terrifying to Greeks, and that’s another meaning: an idea that feels real but is impossible, like the idea of a world without evil. Pronouncing the word is very possible though; just try it one of two ways: either kye-MEER-uh or kih-MEER-uh. Both work.

Example Sentences

The researchers built a small molecule using RIBOTAC, short for Ribonuclease-Targeting Chimera.

From Science Daily • Nov. 13, 2025

It’s been building for a few years, with more people openly talking about when they first watched the Chimera Ant arc in “Hunter X Hunter” or whole heartedly recommending “Cyberpunk: Edgerunners.”

From Salon • Dec. 23, 2023

"It is not at every level of hockey, and that is probably something we're going to see a renewed conversation about," Prof Chimera said.

From BBC • Oct. 30, 2023

On that morning in Naples, I sensed in the dancing figure of the Chimera an echo, not so much of a millenarian Christian Yeats but of something closer to the earth religions.

From New York Times • Feb. 16, 2023

I told them the whole story of the Chimera, Echidna, my high-dive act, and the underwater lady’s message.

From "The Lightning Thief" by Rick Riordan