palindrome

[pal-in-drohm]

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.

palindrome

/ 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

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of palindrome¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of palindrome¹

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

Example Sentences

"The Y chromosome has many sections that repeat, and even some that are palindromes -- the same forwards and backwards. It makes it challenging to understand which genes are encoded there," Cothran explained.

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The second survival strategy takes advantage of palindromes, where the sequence of letters in the DNA alphabet is followed by the same, but inverted sequence, for example, ACTG-GTCA.

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Here, the composer counted years, 20 for Disney, with a sequence of 20 chords, used in various sequences, this way and that, and as palindromes.

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Researchers at the University of Helsinki resolved outstanding questions around the origin of small regulatory genes, and described a mechanism that creates their DNA palindromes.

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Across the way, “Evil” — a 1973 word-painting related to Ruscha’s series on palindromes, words that read the same backward and forward — is spelled out in dark, coagulated blood that was drawn from the artist’s veins.

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When To Use

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.