Something that is illusory or impossible to achieve; a fanciful mental construction. In mythology, a fire-breathing creature with a lion's head, goat's body, and serpent's tail.
From Greek khimaira, originally referring to a mythological monster with parts from different animals. The word evolved through Latin to mean any fantastic or impossible creation, and by the 17th century came to signify any unrealistic hope or illusion.
Modern biology has embraced the term 'chimera' for organisms containing cells from multiple genetic sources, making the ancient mythological concept surprisingly relevant to contemporary genetic research. Scientists can now create actual chimeras in laboratories, blurring the line between mythological impossibility and scientific reality.
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