Because of its complicated journey through etymology, I'll begin with a tale from Greek mythology.
The Chimera, sometimes spelled Chimaera, was a fire-breathing monster with the body of a lion, the head of a goat rising from its back, and a long tail that ended in a serpent's head. In Greek mythology, it was the offspring of Typhon and Echidna and the sibling of Cerberus and Lernaean Hydra. Can you imagine how terrified the Greeks must have been? If their gods were real to them, which they were, then the possibility of a Chimera was, too.
The story goes something like this. A fire-breathing monster residing in Lycia, the southern coast of Turkey, that ravages the land has to be stopped, right? Who better for the task than a Greek hero. Because of a series of tasks that our Greek hero Bellerophon is required to perform (the reasons for it comprise another story), his favor with the gods allows him to bridle and ride Pegasus. From high above on his winged horse, Bellerophon shoots arrows at the Chimera and kills it, redeeming Bellerophon as a hero once more.
Etymology: Greek khimaros; Latin chimaera, Middle English chimera
Old Norse gymbr (a ewe lamb) + Latin heims and Greek cheimon
(winter) a ewe-lamb or goat one winter (year) old.
Somewhere along the line, the goat must have been added to the lion and so forth.
Now let me direct you to the definitions that have arisen from this imaginary monster.
Definition 1: a fire-breathing monster of Lycia composed of the parts of different animals, a lion, a goat, and a snake
Definition 2: in genetics, an occurrence in humans when mutation or grafting results in at least two genetically different kinds of tissue.
Whoa. Stop a minute. What kind of mutation or grafting exactly? Well, apparently people who have bone marrow transplants receive donor red blood cells from the marrow that are not genetically the same as other cells in their own body. No harm done, let me add.
Another example of a genetic chimera takes place when fetal cells travel to the mother's organs during pregnancy and often stay there for a lifetime. Cool.
My final example here illustrates the marvels of nature and the human body. A fetus can assimilate its twin if one embryo dies very early in pregnancy and the cells are absorbed, resulting in two sets of DNA with the code to make two separate organisms. Another chimera. Mind-blowing science, isn't it.
Definition 3: This meaning is the one you will most often use figuratively. A chimera can also be something that is so strange and unlikely that logic tells you it shouldn't exist. Yet it does. Now that you know the origin of the word and its interesting scientific reference, this definition might not be so difficult to grasp.
Definition 4: Or maybe you'd just like to stick with an easy definition--a chimera that exists in the imagination and is not possible in reality. None of us has actually seen a fire-breathing monster with body parts of a goat and a snake. Not literally anyway.
Examples:
1. Bellerophon, dropping the reins not a moment too soon, released his bow at the fiery Chimera, the arrow piercing the smoke-filled sky and slaying the beast who had scourged Lycia for the last time.
2. It was an ordinary day when Marti came in for her lab work, but two weeks later a surprising report indicated an extraordinary chimera. Two sets of DNA resided in her body, which could only mean one thing: she once had been twins.
3. The man standing at his door handing him a check for a million dollars undoubtedly was a chimera beyond his wildest imagination, and, sure he must be dreaming, Arthur laughed nervously and asked for the man's identification.
4. The fire jumped from the stove to the wooden cabinets, licking the surface before devouring the wood, a virtual chimera that would soon destroy the small frame house.
How fortunate for all of us devotees of literacy that we have such creative choices in our language to describe whatever we wish: a storytelling chimera, a scientific chimera, a metaphoric chimera, and a mythological allusion to chimera. In whatever way we choose to employ this lovely word, the image rendered will be unforgettable. Never take for granted the power of words!
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