chimera / tantivy

[scottobear]

chimera \ky-MIR-uh\, noun:

1. (Capitalized) A fire-breathing she-monster represented as having a lion's head, a goat's body, and a serpent's tail.

2. Any imaginary monster made up of grotesquely incongruous parts.

3. An illusion or mental fabrication; a grotesque product of the imagination.

4. An individual, organ, or part consisting of tissues of diverse genetic constitution, produced as a result of organ transplant, grafting, or genetic engineering.

Chimera comes from Latin chimaera, from Greek chimaira "she-goat, chimera."

tantivy \tan-TIV-ee\ adverb

At full gallop; at full speed.

noun

A fast gallop; rush.

adjective

Swift.

interjection

A hunting cry by a hunter riding a horse at full speed.

Of obscure origin, perhaps from the sound of a galloping horse's feet.

Comments

[artemii.livejournal.com]

in mythology it's reputed that the goddess echidne gave birth to the chimera, as well as the sphinx and the cerebus. she had them with the storm god typhon (which i'm guessing is where typhoon comes from?).

also, in modern greek "chimera" means "utopia."