Where does “Chimaera” come from?
Chimaera (English) comes from English Chimera, from Middle English chimere, from French chimère, from Latin chimaera, from Ancient Greek χίμαιρα, from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰéyōm, from Proto-Indo-European -ōm, from Proto-Indo-European -mi.
Chimaera (English): 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
Definitions
- 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
Ancestry of “Chimaera”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Chimera | A supposed fire-breathing monster in Lycia with the head of a lion, body of a goat, and tail of a dragon or snake, killed by the hero Bellerophon |
| 2 | Middle English | chimere | — |
| 3 | French | chimère | chimera; chimaera |
| 4 | Latin | chimaera | Chimera |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | χίμαιρα | a she-goat |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵʰéyōm | winter; year; frost, snow |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -ōm | emphatic suffix or postpositive particle |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -mi | — |