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chimeras - 3 dictionary results
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chi⋅me⋅ra

  [ki-meer-uh, kahy-]
Use chimeras in a Sentence
–noun, plural -ras.
1. (often initial capital letter) a mythological, fire-breathing monster, commonly represented with a lion's head, a goat's body, and a serpent's tail.
2. any similarly grotesque monster having disparate parts, esp. as depicted in decorative art.
3. a horrible or unreal creature of the imagination; a vain or idle fancy: He is far different from the chimera your fears have made of him.
4. Genetics. an organism composed of two or more genetically distinct tissues, as an organism that is partly male and partly female, or an artificially produced individual having tissues of several species.
Also, chimaera.

Origin:
1350–1400; ME chimera < L chimaera < Gk chímaira she-goat; akin to ON gymbr, E gimmer ewe-lamb one year (i.e., one winter) old, L hiems winter (see hiemal ), Gk cheimn winter

Synonyms:
3. dream, fantasy, delusion.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To chimeras
chi·me·ra also chi·mae·ra   (kī-mîr'ə, kĭ-)   
n.  
    1. An organism, organ, or part consisting of two or more tissues of different genetic composition, produced as a result of organ transplant, grafting, or genetic engineering.
    2. A substance, such as an antibody, created from the proteins or genes of two different species.
  2. An individual who has received a transplant of genetically and immunologically different tissue.
  3. A fanciful mental illusion or fabrication.

[Middle English chimere, Chimera, from Old French, from Latin chimaera, from Greek khimaira, chimera, she-goat; see ghei- in Indo-European roots.]
Chi·me·ra also Chi·mae·ra   (kī-mîr'ə, kĭ-)   
n.  
  1. Greek Mythology A fire-breathing she-monster usually represented as a composite of a lion, goat, and serpent.
  2. An imaginary monster made up of grotesquely disparate parts.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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