26984 words

chimera

4 definitions • 5 examples
1
in Greek mythology (= ancient stories), a creature with a lion's head, a goat's body, and a snake's tail:

Examples:

He built a clay model of the mythological Greek Chimera, part lion, part goat and part serpent.
2
an organism that contains cells or tissues from two or more different species or from two or more genetically different living things:

Examples:

The clinic has created human-pig chimeras by adding human stem cells to pig fetuses.
3
something made up of parts of things that are very different from each other:

Examples:

The composer described the project as "a chimera, a cobbled-together creature."
4
a hope or dream that is very unlikely ever to come true:

Examples:

Is the ideal of banishing hunger throughout the world just a chimera?
Why do people chase the chimera of fame?

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