chimera

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chimera in Greek mythology, a fire-breathing female monster with a lion's head, a goat's body, and a serpent's tale; any mythical animal with parts taken from various animals. In extended usage, the term may be used for a thing which is hoped or wished for but in fact is illusory or impossible to achieve.

Chimera is also now used in biology for an organism containing a mixture of genetically different tissues, formed by processes such as fusion of early embryos, grafting, or mutation.

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