Wednesday, August 25, 2010

#237 chimera/chimaera

chimera/chimaera- Greek myth- a fire-breathing monster with the head of a lion, body of a goat, and tail of a serpent; a grotesque product of the imagination

- from Greek khimaira- she goat

As a common name 'chimera' is used by Milton to denote a terrible monster, and is now current (in an age which rejects such fabulous creatures) in the sense of a wild fancy.

Companion site: quoteflections- a regular, eclectic mind fix

Tags: word of the day, best words, etymology, spelling, vital, useful, expressive, emotional, strategic, onomatopoeic, connotation, how to, English usage, language, learning, mnemonic devices, vocabulary, quoteflections, quotation, quotes