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 )

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.

From Science Daily

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.

From Science Daily

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.

From Los Angeles Times

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.

From Science Daily

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.

From Los Angeles Times