chimaera

[ ki-meer-uh, kahy- ]

/ kɪˈmɪər ə, kaɪ- /

Save This Word!

noun

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

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

chimera.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of chimaera

First recorded in 1795–1805; see origin at chimera

Words nearby chimaera

Chilpancingo, Chiltern Hills, Chiltern Hundreds, Chiluba, Chilung, chimaera, chimb, Chimborazo, Chimbote, chime, chime hoop

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use chimaera in a sentence

That means that the chimaera crab was probably zooming through the water, chasing after whatever its eyes locked onto.
This 90-million-year-old crab had the eyes of a hunter|Philip Kiefer|January 11, 2022|Popular-Science
Next he catches up Gyas and the vast bulk of the Chimaera; she gives way, without her steersman.
The Aeneid of Virgil|Virgil
The teeth of Chimaera are more adapted for cutting, those of Callorhynchus for crushing.
The Vertebrate Skeleton|Sidney H. Reynolds
Many extinct forms are known, some of whose teeth are intermediate in structure between those of Chimaera and Callorhynchus.
The Vertebrate Skeleton|Sidney H. Reynolds

In Chimaera all three basalia are present, but the meso-pterygium is shifted and does not articulate with the pectoral girdle.
The Vertebrate Skeleton|Sidney H. Reynolds
On came the Chimaera, her serpent tail lashing the stones, but Bellerophon ever kept on the further side of a great tall rock.
Tales of Troy and Greece|Andrew Lang

British Dictionary definitions for chimaera

chimaera

/ (kaɪˈmɪərə, kɪ-) /

noun

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 craniumSee also rabbitfish (def. 1)

Greek myth a variant spelling of chimera (def. 1)

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