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” ( hiemal ), Greek cheîma “winter cold” ( isocheim )

Example Sentences

Metcalfe’s pursuit of revelation in a single lost poem is magical thinking, a relentless grasping for a chimera.

From Los Angeles Times

And like this suggestion, the chimera named Barbenheimer was born on the Internet.

From Salon

Jacques said he wanted a scary Manitas, a “chimera” — a ghostlike existence — but the makeup had to remain realistic and believable.

From Los Angeles Times

Also known as a spookfish or chimera, ghost sharks are closely related to sharks and rays.

From BBC

The fact is that the subcommittee has wasted nearly a year and a half chasing a chimera.

From Los Angeles Times