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; see origin at chimera

Example Sentences

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

From BBC • Feb. 15, 2022

Also known as chimaera or ratfish, ghost sharks have long fins and vacant eyes that make even great whites seem friendly.

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

Dread of the dissenters, therefore, had become a mere chimaera, which only those could entertain whose minds were influenced by prejudice.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 5 English History by Various