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   Chi·me·ra

   /kīˈmirə/

   

   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 with parts taken from various animals.
   • 2. a thing that is hoped or wished for but in fact is illusory or impossible to achieve: "the economic sovereignty you claim to defend is a chimera"
   • 3. 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. a cartilaginous marine fish with a long tail, an erect spine before the first dorsal fin, and typically a forward projection from the snout.

   Word Origin late Middle English: via Latin from Greek khimaira ‘she-goat or chimera’.

   Scrabble Points: 14

   • C

     3

   • H

     4

   • I

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   • M

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   • E

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   • R

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   • A

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