Chimera

  1. Proper noun.  (Greek mythology) A mythical monster represented as vomiting flames, and as having the head of a lion, the body of a goat, and the tail of a dragon.
  2. Noun.  (mythology) Chimera, or any fabulous creature with parts from different animals.
  3. Noun.  A vain, foolish, or incongruous fancy, or creature of the imagination; as, the chimera of an author.
  4. Noun.  (genetics) An organism with genetically distinct cells originating from two zygotes.
  5. Noun.  (architecture) A gargoyle (fictional winged creature).
  6. Noun.  (usually ''chimaera'') A cartilaginous marine fish in the subclass Holocephali and especially the order Chimaeriformes, with a blunt snout, long tail, and a spine before the first dorsal fin.

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This entry was last updated on RefTopia from its source on 3/20/2012.