Correct pronunciation of Chimera?

[Djeta Thernadier]

Apologies if this has been asked before...but what is the correct way to pronounce Chimera?

We fought one last night (and took it down fairly easily and quickly much to the DM's dismay...bwhahahahaha....*ahem*...sorry...) and during the course of the combat we all must have pronounced it at least 6 or 7 different ways.

Does anyone know the correct one?

Thank you!
Sheri

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

Apologies if this has been asked before...but what is the correct way to pronounce Chimera?

We fought one last night (and took it down fairly easily and quickly much to the DM's dismay...bwhahahahaha....*ahem*...sorry...) and during the course of the combat we all must have pronounced it at least 6 or 7 different ways.

Does anyone know the correct one?

Thank you!
Sheri

Ki-mare-uh.

 

[Magic Slim]

I would have gone with Kaï-mare-Ahh

Slim

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

I would have gone with Kaï-mare-Ahh

Slim

That's pretty much what I meant...I'm not great at typing out pronunciations so I just did my best.

 

[Hand of Evil]

Ki mirror

but here is a link that has a wav of it...

http://www.yourdictionary.com/ahd/c/c0295800.html

 

[Oni]

Ki (rhymes with pie) me ra

don't believe me go to www.webster.com and plug it into the dictionary. They have a neat little function where it pronounces the word, just click on the little red audio symbol.

 

[WayneLigon]

Apologies if this has been asked before...but what is the correct way to pronounce Chimera?

We fought one last night (and took it down fairly easily and quickly much to the DM's dismay...bwhahahahaha....*ahem*...sorry...) and during the course of the combat we all must have pronounced it at least 6 or 7 different ways.

Does anyone know the correct one?

Thank you!
Sheri

http://www.yourdictionary.com/ has a .wav file so you can hear the word pronounced.

Chimera
Also spelled Chi·mae·ra

Kie (rhymes with 'pie') - meer (rhymes with 'fear') - ah. Equal pronunciation on all syllables. You can also pronounce the first syllable 'k

'. It is never pronounced with the 'shh' sound.

Greek Mythology A fire-breathing she-monster usually represented as a composite of a lion, goat, and serpent.

An imaginary monster made up of grotesquely disparate parts.

An organism, organ, or part consisting of two or more tissues of different genetic composition, produced as a result of organ transplant, grafting, or genetic engineering.

A substance, such as an antibody, created from the proteins or genes or two different species.

An individual who has received a transplant of genetically and immunologically different tissue.

A fanciful mental illusion or fabrication.

I've also heard it used in reference to particularly deformed or malformed animals or humans, or in reference to the malformed part thereof.

 

[Carnifex]

Ki-meer-a

 

[tarchon]

http://www.yourdictionary.com/ has a .wav file so you can hear the word pronounced.

Chimera
Also spelled Chi·mae·ra

Kie (rhymes with 'pie') - meer (rhymes with 'fear') - ah. Equal pronunciation on all syllables.

The second syllable is commonly pronounced to rhyme with "mare" in the United States (as several people have noted) but you hear both. Stress is definitely on the second syllable - you never have equal stress in English, particularly not on a 3-syllable word. Most native English speakers can't even pronounce (or recognize) equal stress without extensive practice, as the French often note.

 

[Stormrunner]

Yep, initial C is usually a hard K sound in Greek. "Centaur", for example, really ought to be pronounced "KEN-tar", but most Americans say "SEN-tar", taking their cue from words like "century".

Has anyone ever used this sort of pronunciation drift in a game? Have your PCs ever spent months looking for the Hearse of Doom, only to find they really should have been searching for the Horse of Doom (or vice versa)?