- Chimerical
- Today's Word
Chimerical
Chimerical
ky-MAIR-ih-kulDefinition
(adjective) Wildly unrealistic or fanciful; existing only in the imagination and having no basis in reality.Example
Critics called the startup’s plan to colonize Mars within five years chimerical — bold in vision, impossible in practice.Word Origin
From the Chimera — a fire-breathing monster of Greek mythology with the head of a lion, body of a goat, and tail of a serpent. From Greek chimaira (“she-goat”), related to kheimon (“winter”) — the creature was associated with seasonal storms. The Chimera was slain by Bellerophon riding Pegasus, and its name became a byword for any fantastical, impossible idea. The adjective chimerical entered English in the 17th century.
Fun FactIn modern biology, a “chimera” is an organism containing cells from two genetically distinct sources — either naturally (some twins absorb cells from each other in the womb) or through procedures like bone marrow transplants. Human chimeras walk among us, often completely unaware of their dual genetic identity. The mythological monster’s mismatched body parts turned out to be a surprisingly accurate metaphor for a real biological phenomenon — proof that even “impossible” things sometimes turn out to be more real than imagined.
Today's Popular Words
Parsimonious
- Today's Word
Parsimonious
 par-sih-MOH-nee-us
Definition
(adjective) Unwilling to spend money or use resources; extremely frugal to the point of stinginess.
Example
 He was so parsimonious that he kept the thermostat at 58 degrees all winter and wore two sweaters instead.
Word Origin
From Latin parsimonia, meaning “frugality” or “thrift,” derived from parcere (“to spare, be sparing”). The word entered English in the 15th century through Old French. Its Latin root is also the ancestor of “sparse” — both words carry the idea of deliberate scarcity.
Fun Fact
“Parsimonious” has a philosophical sibling: Occam’s Razor — the principle that the simplest explanation is usually correct — is sometimes called the “principle of parsimony.” In science, parsimony means elegance and economy of explanation, which is considered a virtue. So the same word that describes a miser hoarding his pennies also describes one of the most respected principles in logic and scientific reasoning — the idea that less, truly, is more.
Top 12 Benefits of Learning New Words
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