Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Word of the Day

Chimerical

chi•me•ri•cal
Pronunciation: \ky-MER-ih-kuhl; -MIR-; kih-\
Function: adjective
Etymology: Chimerical is ultimately derived from Greek khimaira, "she-goat" or "chimera," which in Greek mythology was a monster having the head of a lion, the body of a goat, and the tail of a dragon.

1. Merely imaginary; produced by or as if by a wildly fanciful imagination; fantastic; improbable or unrealistic.
2. Given to or indulging in unrealistic fantasies or fantastic schemes.

"Her name is Dulcinea; her country El Toboso, a village in La Mancha; her degree at least that of Princess, for she is my Queen and mistress; her beauty superhuman, for in her are realized all the impossible and chimerical attributes of beauty which poets give to their ladies."

— Miguel De Cervantes, Don Quixote

Thanks to Constant Comment for today's WOTD entry

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