chimaera

American  

[ki-meer-uh, kahy-] / kɪˈmɪər ə, kaɪ- /

noun

1. any fish of the family Chimaeridae, the male of which has a spiny clasping organ over the mouth.

2. any similar fish of the group Holocephali, which includes this family.

3. chimera.

---

chimaera British  

/ kaɪˈmɪərə, kɪ- /

noun

1. any tapering smooth-skinned cartilaginous deep-sea fish of the subclass Holocephali (or Bradyodonti ), esp any of the genus Chimaera. They have a skull in which the upper jaw is fused to the cranium See also rabbitfish

2. Greek myth a variant spelling of chimera

---

Etymology

Origin of chimaera

First recorded in 1795–1805; chimera

Example Sentences

They belong to a group of cartilaginous fish known as chimaeras, which diverged from sharks millions of years ago.

From Science Daily

Ghost sharks - also known as chimaera - are rarely spotted, and sightings of their young are even more uncommon.

From BBC

With its gaping jaws, the exhibition’s megalodon serves as a kind of smiling greeter for a family reunion of not only sharks but also their close relatives: skates, chimaeras and rays.

From New York Times

By 2005, they had followed the fates of hundreds of cells in chimaeras and several thousand in embryos.

From Nature

Luther and colleagues’ chimaeras are at a more advanced stage of development, because, as the authors show, they have potent in vivo activity as well as favourable toxicity, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics in animal models.

From Nature