chimera
chimera Lexical Profile
chimera Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A fire-breathing female monster in Greek mythology typically depicted with a lion's head, a goat's body, and a serpent's tail, or any grotesque imaginary creature composed of parts from various animals.
"The medieval tapestry depicted a fearsome chimera guarding the entrance to the enchanted forest."
A thing that is hoped or wished for, in fact, an illusory or impossible fantasy that cannot be achieved.
"The economic advisor warned that achieving unlimited growth without inflation was a mere chimera."
An individual organism composed of cells or tissues with at least two genetically distinct sets of DNA, originating from the fusion of different zygotes or through grafting.
"Geneticists analyzed the plant chimera to understand how cells from two different parent species interacted within the same leaf."
A deep-water marine cartilaginous fish of the order Chimaeriformes, related to sharks and rays, having a large head, smooth scaleless skin, and a long whip-like tail.
"Using a remotely operated submersible, marine biologists filmed a ghostly chimera gliding along the deep ocean floor."
• Rhymes for chimera
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed via Old French and Latin from the Ancient Greek Khimaira, literally meaning "she-goat," which served as the name of a monstrous fire-breathing creature slain by the hero Bellerophon.