/
kʌɪˈmɪərə,
kɪ-/
n.
- Greek Mythology a fire-breathing female monster with a lion's head, a goat's body, and a serpent's tail.
- something hoped for but illusory or impossible to achieve.
- Biology an organism containing a mixture of genetically different tissues, formed by processes such as fusion of early embryos, grafting, or mutation.
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(chimaera)
a long-tailed cartilaginous marine fish with an erect spine before the first dorsal fin.
[Chimaera and other genera, family Chimaeridae.]
Derivative
- chimeric
/-ˈmɛrɪk/
adj. - chimerical adj.
- chimerically adv.
Etymology
ME: via L. from Gk khimaira ‘she-goat or chimera’.