Chimaeras

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A mythical creature often depicted as a composite of different animals, such as a lion, goat, and serpent; a term in biology referring to an organism that contains genetically distinct cells from different zygotes; a concept in philosophy denoting a fanciful or impossible idea that combines disparate elements into one entity
2. A legendary beast usually described as having parts of a lion, goat, and snake, symbolizing the combination of various elements; a classification in genetics for an organism formed from two or more genetically different cells; a metaphorical construct in thought that merges unrelated concepts into a single imaginary whole
3. A fantastical being represented with features from multiple animals, exemplifying the fusion of distinct traits; a biological entity originating from two or more genetically different donors; a philosophical notion illustrating the integration of diverse and contrasting ideas into a unified vision

Etymology: "Chimaeras" is the plural of "chimaera", the British-spelled variant of "chimera". The inflected form takes its meaning from the singular, which in Greek named a fire-breathing monster of Lycia, described in Homer as having a lion's head, a goat's body and a serpent's tail. Its name, "Khimaira", literally meant "she-goat", and the creature's combined anatomy gave the word its later sense of anything made from incongruous parts. The spelling "chimaera" keeps the Latin form "Chimaera", which English writers adopted for the monster, while "chimera" follows the more common modern English spelling. Both spellings are in use, and the plural "chimaeras" applies to the mythical beast, to the genetic classification of an organism built from two or more cell populations, and to the figurative sense of an unrealistic fancy.

Synonyms: fantasies, illusions