Make Your Point > Archived Issues > CHIMERICAL

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connect today's word to others: (Image source: Wikimedia Commons) In the Iliad, Homer first introduced us to the chimera, a mythical monster, describing it as "a thing of immortal make, not human, lion-fronted and snake behind, a goat in the middle, and snorting out the breath of the terrible flame of bright fire." (That creature sounds appropriately Homeric, doesn't it?) So, today, chimerical things are those that strike us as fanciful, imaginative, and whimsically bizarre. A synonym of chimerical is L_p_t_n. Can you recall it? It's also from literature, this time from Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels, and it means "extremely absurd and impractical." (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) make your point with... "CHIMERICAL" A chimera ("ky MARE uh" or "ky MEER uh") is a mythical beast that's part lion, part goat, and part snake. And so, more generally, a chimera can also be any fanciful, unrealistic idea, or any strange combination of things. Something chimerical, then, is fanciful, unrealistic, or both. Pronunciation: ky MARE ih kull Part of speech: Adjective. (Adjectives are describing words, like "large" or "late." They can be used in two ways: 1. Right before a noun, as in "a chimerical thing" or "a chimerical person." 2. After a linking verb, as in "It was chimerical" or "He was chimerical.") Other forms: chimera(s), chimerically How to use it: Chimerical things can be either wondrously imaginative or foolishly impossible, so the tone of this word can be positive or negative, but it's negative a great deal of the time. Talk about chimerical people, animals, creatures, personalities, ideas, goals, plans, dreams, desires, expectations, prospects, delusions, processes, and creations (like artwork, novels, songs, and devices). Because the chimera from Greek myth was part lion, part goat, and part snake, it's especially appropriate to talk about chimerical blends, combinations, alliances, etc. Finally, you might say that something has a chimerical quality or appearance. examples: The notion that I'd be in and out of Wal-Mart with everything I needed in ten minutes, tops, was a chimera. That place is an unholy mess. "TFA is, at best, another chimerical attempt in a long history of chimerical attempts to sell educational reform as a solution to class inequality. " —Andrew Hartman, Jacobin Magazine, December 2011 study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "chimerical" means when you can explain it without saying "unfounded" or "fantastical." try it out: Fill in the blank: "It's chimerical to expect (a certain thing to happen)." Example: "It's chimerical to expect the war to end swiftly and victoriously." before you review: Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first. Uncommon Opposites! In each issue this month, I'll give you a rare word and its definition, and you come up with its more familiar opposite. For example, if I say, "To exfiltrate is to secretly withdraw people from a dangerous situation," then you come up with the opposite: "infiltrate." Or if I say, "An allograph is something written by someone other than the person concerned," then you come up with "autograph." We'll take these in order from easy to hard as the month goes on. Ready? From our previous issue: The obverse of something, such as a coin, is the front side. What’s the opposite? Answer: The reverse. Try this today: Someone materternal, or materterine, is aunt-like. What’s the opposite? (Think "uncle-like," not "niece/nephew-like," and not "un-aunt-like.") review today's word: 1. The opposite of CHIMERICAL is A. ORGANIC. B. PRACTICAL. C. INSIGHTFUL. 2. According to National Geographic, as part of a mission to make human organs more available to patients who need them, researchers create "chimeras" by _____. A. cloning individual organisms B. assembling them with 3-D printers C. combining stem cells from multiple species Answers are below. a final word: Make Your Point is crafted with love and brought to you each weekday morning by Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From Liesl's blog:    36 ways to study words.    Why we forget words, & how to remember them.    How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes. Answers to review questions: 1. B 2. C