chimaera

noun8

1. •
   Any fantastic creature combining parts from different animals.
2. •
   Alternative letter-case form of Chimera, a supposed monster in Lycia with the head of a lion, body of a goat, and tail of a dragon or serpent, killed by the hero Bellerophon.

   • The game includes a bunch of chimeras, with the lion heads shooting fire and the snake tails whipping around trying to bite the player.
3. •
   (figurative) A foolish, incongruous, or vain thought or product of the imagination.

   • Although now considered a pseudo-science, the 'Abbasids were also fascinated by alchemy and the chimera of transforming base metals into gold for their treasury. — 2009
4. •
   (figurative) Synonym of bogeyman: any terrifying thing, especially as an unreal, imagined threat.

   • How could that Chymera haue come in any mannes mynd? — 1587
5. •
   An organism with genetically distinct cells originating from two or more zygotes.

   • The DNA test returned a false negative because the killer was a chimera, having absorbed her twin in utero.
6. •
   (figurative) Anything composed of very disparate parts.

   • He built his car one piece at a time, producing a chimera with the head of a Volkswagen, the body of a Geely, and the tail of an aftermarket Porsche.
7. •
   A grotesque like a gargoyle, but without a spout for rainwater.
8. •
   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