palindrome

American  

[pal-in-drohm] / ˈpæl ɪnˌdroʊm /

noun

1. 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.

2. 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.

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palindrome British  

/ ˈpælɪnˌdrəʊm, ˌpælɪnˈdrɒmɪk /

noun

1. 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

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Usage

What is a palindrome? A palindrome is a word or phrase that can be read the same way backward or forward, as with the words redivider, kayak, and civic. Palindromes are most often used to be creative and have fun with words. You might see them in ads to catch your attention or a creative writing teacher might ask the class to write palindromes to help students think more creatively. In biology, a palindrome describes a sequence of nucleotides in DNA that matches a reverse line. The possible nucleotide combinations are A-T and C-G, and the pairs can match up in any order. Sometimes they line up palindromically, as when CCTAGG matches up with a sequence of GGATCC. Example: One of the most famous palindromes is “Never Odd or Even,” which has the same letters backward and forward.

Other Word Forms

• palindromic adjective
• palindromical adjective
• palindromically adverb
• palindromist noun

Etymology

Origin of palindrome

First recorded in 1630–40; from Greek palíndromos “recurring,” equivalent to pálin “back, again” + -dromos “running, race” ( -drome )

Explanation

“Madam, I’m Adam,” says Adam when he meets a woman for the first time. Not only is Adam polite, he’s also using a palindrome, a word or phrase that can be read the same way either forward or backward. "Racecar," "radar," "stats," "eye," "Mom" — these are examples of palindromes: If you reverse the letters, the words will stay the same. An entire phrase can be a palindrome, like this: "A man, a plan, a canal: Panama." Palindrome comes from a Greek word that means "running back again," which describes the back-and-forth nature of palindromes very well. Here’s a palindrome you can use at parties to impress people: "Go hang a salami, I'm a lasagna hog." It really works!

Example Sentences

When located within a palindrome, genes benefit from the palindrome's ability to correct mutations.

From Science Daily • May 29, 2024

In a rear-view mirror, the kind where one looks to see where one has been, the word tweaks the palindrome genre to spell “live.”

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 20, 2023

But remember that its title is a palindrome, a type of wordplay in which a word or phrase reads the same backward and forward.

From New York Times • Jan. 6, 2023

The date is also interesting because depending on the way its written, it may form a palindrome, or even an ambigram.

From Fox News • Feb. 22, 2022

Here is my palindrome poem on the subject: Eros, eyesore.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver