palindrome

[ pal-in-drohm ]

/ ˈpæl ɪnˌdroʊm /

noun

a word, line, verse, number, sentence, etc., reading the same backward as forward, as Madam, I'm Adam or Poor Dan is in a droop.

Biochemistry. a region of DNA in which the sequence of nucleotides is identical with an inverted sequence in the complementary strand: GAATTC is a palindrome of CTTAAG.

Nearby words

palilalia, palilogy, palimony, palimpsest, palimscope, palindrome, palindromia, palindromic, paling, palingenesis, palingenesist

Origin of palindrome

1620–30; < Greek palíndromos recurring, equivalent to pálin again, back + -dromos running (see -drome)

Related forms

pa·lin·dro·mist

[puh-lin-droh-mist] /pəˈlɪn droʊ mɪst/, nounpal·in·drom·ic

[pal-in-drom-ik, -droh-mik] /ˌpæl ɪnˈdrɒm ɪk, -ˈdroʊ mɪk/, pal·in·drom·i·cal, adjectivepal·in·drom·i·cal·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for palindrome

But no witch's palindrome for long can block the march of reason and of research.
The Shakespearean Myth|Appleton Morgan
Here is a Palindrome that surrounds a figure of the sun in the mosaic pavement of Sa.
Notes and Queries, Number 213, November 26, 1853|Various
In this form the solution will depend on whether the number of letters in the palindrome be odd or even.
Amusements in Mathematics|Henry Ernest Dudeney
Sir Henry Wood suggested that the method of the anagram or palindrome yielded very happy results.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 146, April 1, 1914|Various

I have seen it stated that the English language affords but one specimen of the palindrome, while the Latin and Greek have many.
Notes and Queries, Number 213, November 26, 1853|Various

British Dictionary definitions for palindrome

palindrome

/ (ˈpælɪnˌdrəʊm) /

noun

a word or phrase the letters of which, when taken in reverse order, give the same word or phrase, such as able was I ere I saw Elba

Derived Forms

palindromic (ˌpælɪnˈdrɒmɪk), adjective

Word Origin for palindrome

C17: from Greek palindromos running back again, from palin again + -drome

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medicine definitions for palindrome

palindrome

[ păl′ĭn-drōm′ ]

n.

A segment of double-stranded DNA in which the nucleotide sequence of one strand reads in reverse order to that of the complementary strand.

Related forms

pal′in•dro′mic (-drō′mĭk, -drŏm′ĭk) adj.