chimera (chi|mera)

noun

• 1(in Greek mythology) a fire-breathing female monster with a lion’s head, a goat’s body, and a serpent’s tail.
• any mythical animal formed from parts of various animals.

• 2a thing which is hoped for but is illusory or impossible to achieve: the economic sovereignty you claim to defend is a chimera

• 3 Biology an organism containing a mixture of genetically different tissues, formed by processes such as fusion of early embryos, grafting, or mutation: the sheeplike goat chimera
• a DNA molecule with sequences derived from two or more different organisms, formed by laboratory manipulation.

• 4 (chimaera) a cartilaginous marine fish with a long tail, an erect spine before the first dorsal fin, and typically a forward projection from the snout.

  • Subclass Hoplocephali: three families, in particular Chimaeridae.