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Showing results for "chimaera"

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of chimaera

First recorded in 1795–1805; see origin at chimera

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

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

From BBC Feb. 15, 2022

After all, chimaera are still mysteries to science: Nearly 40 percent of chimaera species have been revealed only in the past 15 years or so, says Ebert.

From National Geographic Jun. 12, 2017

“On the video camera we saw a kind of chimaera that whizzed by – that’s very, very rare in Australian waters,” she said.

From The Guardian May 31, 2017

James's patient was a chimaera: a person who develops from a mixture of two fertilized eggs, usually owing to a merger between embryonic twins in the womb.

From Nature Feb. 17, 2015

Separateness of existence, according to such a view—which, after all, represents only the extreme logic of Pantheism—is, of course, a chimaera, and so, a fortiori, must separate volition be.

From Problems of Immanence: studies critical and constructive by Joseph Warschauer

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