anagram

[ an-uh-gram ]

noun

1. a word, phrase, or sentence formed from another by rearranging its letters:

   “Angel” is an anagram of “glean.”

2. anagrams, (used with a singular verb) a game in which the players build words by transposing and, often, adding letters.

verb (used with object)

, an·a·grammed, an·a·gram·ming.

1. to form (the letters of a text) into a secret message by rearranging them.
2. to rearrange (the letters of a text) so as to discover a secret message.

anagram

/ ˌænəɡrəˈmætɪk; ˈænəˌɡræm /

noun

1. a word or phrase the letters of which can be rearranged into another word or phrase

Derived Forms

• ˌanagramˈmatically, adverb
• anagrammatic, adjective

Other Words From

• an·a·gram·mat·ic [an-, uh, -gr, uh, -, mat, -ik], ana·gram·mati·cal adjective
• ana·gram·mati·cal·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of anagram¹

First recorded in 1580–90; probably from Middle French anagramme, from New Latin anagramma; equivalent to ana- + -gram ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of anagram¹

C16: from New Latin anagramma, shortened from Greek anagrammatismos, from anagrammatizein to transpose letters, from ana- + gramma a letter

Example Sentences

Miles Bron is not exactly an anagram for a certain owner of Twitter, but it’s not all that far off!

From Vox

After listing all the four-letter words, Josh looked at all the five-letter words and noted the ones for which removing a letter resulted in an anagram of a four-letter word.

From FiveThirtyEight

It’s a super-fast and fun way to check your anagram to make sure you haven’t used a letter too many times, or not often enough.

From Washington Post

In time she realized her odd plant belonged among the extreme parasites in the genus Thismia, described in 1844 and named as an anagram for English anatomist Thomas Smith.

From Science News

Rahodeb is an anagram of “Deborah,” the name of Mackey’s longtime wife.

From Freakonomics

[From The Daily Beast's own Brian Ries] Hi Ron Paul your name is an anagram for "Our Plan."

From The Daily Beast

And cruder devices certainly deepen the effect of a name; Caliban is a rough anagram of “cannibal,” and Cassio contains an “ass.”

From The Daily Beast

Even the title of the film is an anagram of “Truths Denials.”

From The Daily Beast

Colleville invented an anagram on Cochin's name; with his given names it made up "Cochenille."

From Project Gutenberg

Anagram′matism, the practice of making anagrams; Anagram′matist, a maker of anagrams.

From Project Gutenberg

In each pan place a group of articles or pictures which will represent in anagram the filling of a pie.

From Project Gutenberg

The master was Captain Roderick Ralestone, although he concealed his name in a sort of an anagram.

From Project Gutenberg

It happening that both had the same name, Catherine, they passed the whole afternoon in forming it into an anagram.

From Project Gutenberg