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  1. anagram love

Definitions

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

  1. n. A word or phrase formed by reordering the letters of another word or phrase, such as satin to stain.
  2. n. A game in which players form words from a group of randomly picked letters.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

  1. n. A transposition of the letters of a word or sentence, to form a new word or sentence: thus, Galenus is an anagram of angelus. Dr. Burney's anagram of Horatio Nelson is one of the happiest, Honor ext a Nilo (Honor is from the Nile).
  2. n. A word formed by reading the letters of one or more words backward; a palindrome: thus, evil is an anagram of live.
  3. To form into an anagram.

Wiktionary

  1. n. of words A word or phrase that is created by rearranging the letters of another word or phrase.
  2. v. To form anagrams.

GNU Webster's 1913

  1. n. Literally, the letters of a word read backwards, but in its usual wider sense, the change of one word or phrase into another by the transposition of its letters. Thus Galenus becomes angelus; William Noy (attorney-general to Charles I., and a laborious man) may be turned into I moyl in law.
  2. v. To anagrammatize.

WordNet 3.0

  1. n. a word or phrase spelled by rearranging the letters of another word or phrase
  2. v. read letters out of order to discover a hidden meaning

Etymologies

  1. Late 16th century, from French anagramme, formed on Greek ἀνά (ana, "up, back") + γράμμα (gramma, "letter"). (Wiktionary)
  2. New Latin anagramma, from Greek anagrammatismos, from anagrammatizein, to rearrange letters in a word : ana-, from bottom to top; see ana- + gramma, grammat-, letter; see gerbh- in Indo-European roots. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)

Examples

  • “Oh, Humbert Humbert anagram is Hmm, the brute rub!”

    Lolita (copy)

  • “Mittelos was probably chosen as a name for the front biolab because the anagram is “lost time” and little else.”

    The Tail Section » Paik Heavy Industries: The Lost Experience Redux

  • “Has anyone figured out what the third anagram is from the final�????”

    The Tail Section » Scant Season Four Details

  • “In Rouen, the queens of hearts, diamonds and clubs were Rachel, mother of Joseph; Argine, an anagram of regina, the Latin word for queen; and Judith, of the Old Testament.”

    THE HISTORY OF PLAYING CARDS

  • “There are 31 actors' and actresses' surnames in this poem, including one full name anagram in the first verse.”

    Archive 2010-03-01

  • “Parliament, under the name of ‘The Senate of Lilliput,’ sometimes with feigned denominations of the several speakers, sometimes with denominations formed of the letters of their real names, in the manner of what is called anagram, so that they might easily be decyphered.”

    The Life of Samuel Johnson LL.D.

  • “What we certainly know to have been done by him in this way, was the Debates in both houses of Parliament, under the name of 'The Senate of Lilliput,' sometimes with feigned denominations of the several speakers, sometimes with denominations formed of the letters of their real names, in the manner of what is called anagram, so that they might easily be decyphered.”

    Life Of Johnson

  • “Parliament, under the name of 'The Senate of Lilliput,' sometimes with feigned denominations of the several speakers, sometimes with denominations formed of the letters of their real names, in the manner of what is called anagram, so that they might easily be decyphered.”

    Life of Johnson, Volume 1 1709-1765

  • “It was the poet André Breton - who led the expulsion of Dalí from the Paris Surrealist group in 1934, prompting Dalí to retort "I myself am surrealism" - who coined the anagram”

    Telegraph.co.uk: news, business, sport, the Daily Telegraph newspaper, Sunday Telegraph

  • “At the time of writing Moore said: '' I was inspired by the idea of an anagram, which is the rearrangement of characters to make a new word.”

    Books news, reviews and author interviews | guardian.co.uk

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synonyms (1)

Words with the same meaning

  1. anagrammatize

hypernyms (1)

Words that are more generic or abstract

  1. read

same context (20)

Words that are found in similar contexts

  1. motets
  2. minoribus
  3. disutility
  4. adsensus
  1. acrostic
  2. decriminalization
  3. thermoelectric
  4. subscripts
  1. onomatopoeia
  2. vivant
  3. honoribus
  4. legalization
  1. monogram
  2. cross-reference
  3. rima
  4. pratfalls
  1. 1/4-in
  2. setof
  3. superscript
  4. trelliswork

reverse dictionary (8)

Words that contain this word in their definition

  1. antigram
  1. anagram
  1. anagrammatic
  1. anagrammatize
  1. anagrammatically
  1. logogriph
  1. anagrammatical
  1. voltairian

tags (7)

Free-form, user-generated categorization

  1. aaa
  1. slag-ass macaroon
  1. link
  1. noun
  1. singular
  1. anagram
  1. autological

Log in or sign up to add your own tag.

tagging (20)

Words tagged ‘anagram’

  1. Plioreocepta poeciloptera
  2. Tréclau
  3. Venada advena
  4. Venas evans
  1. anagram
  2. any biker inn
  3. ask rogue elf
  4. chattering
  1. joy, art, sunlit
  2. lusty janitor
  3. nattering nabobs of negativity
  4. nutty jailors
  1. ratcheting
  2. retama raetam
  3. rutilant joys
  4. salt to injury
  1. sort jauntily
  2. suave serpens
  3. the eyes = they see
  4. theic

Wordmap

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Word visualization

Lists

These user-created lists contain the word ‘anagram’.

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Comments

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  • alexz Here we go... late 16th century.. french Anagramme.
    http://books.google.ca/books?id=4A6qaY-NwjoC
    Ode sur l'anagramme du nom de tresnoble et tresuertueuse dame, Eleonor de Robertet, femme & compaigne de ... François de Mandelot... (Google eBook)




    André Rossant, Coste
    0 Reviews
    1578 - 8 pages


    Eleonor de Robertet
    is an anagram of
    L'or de Bonte te redore.
    Apr 25, 2013

  • blafferty *bites nails* I need that $200 if I'm going to buy Oriental. Apr 28, 2011

  • reesetee Wow. I hear that you also can't pass go or collect $200. Apr 28, 2011

  • frogapplause There's a Wordnik jail now, so just be careful.
    Go to jail. Go directly to jail.. Apr 28, 2011

  • reesetee Haha! I was just thinking that skipvia had a list similar to yours, but it must have been this page. Not to worry--you're hardly stealing. :-) Apr 28, 2011

  • blafferty Oops, I had no idea that this was already going on. Looks like I unknowingly replicated some of these, sorry! Didn't mean to steal! Apr 28, 2011

  • oroboros Oh no! The Anagram Kid! Jun 1, 2010

  • wordlover42 Anagrams are too funny.. here are my personal favorites of my name:
    A whaleboat jean zips
    A jalapeno beats whiz
    A plaza jawbone heist
    Azaleas jab whine pot
    Jun 19, 2009

  • jmjarmstrong JM wants to share the fact that there is no other word that can be made by rearranging the letters of the word 'anagram'. Feb 1, 2009

  • hernesheir Anagrams for "Wordie Lists" include these more obvious ones" Wordies List, Weirdos List, Weirdo Lists, Wild Stories, Wild Sorties, and Idlers I Stow. Jan 22, 2009

  • chained_bear I often forget this word, and apparently so does at least one other person. Aug 29, 2008

  • skipvia Many thanks, oroboros. I haven't laughed that hard in some time. Apr 24, 2008

  • oroboros Here's the "anagram hall of fame" Apr 23, 2008

  • reesetee Hmm. Yes...yes, I think you're right, chained_bear. It's definitely you. You're certainly no Burdened Cocaine Sharer, if I may say so. Dec 17, 2007

  • chained_bear This is the best word page ever.

    bilby, that isn't actually what I meant, but hell, why not?

    reesetee, I was actually thinking more along the lines of "Bra Redundancies Cohere" is me all over. Dec 16, 2007

  • sionnach Anagrammatically speaking, I am an inviting mad lad. Dec 15, 2007

  • skipvia "Anaerobic dunce herders" reminds me of some of my teaching colleagues. Dec 15, 2007

  • reesetee Hardened Cubic Reasoner. Yep, that's chained_bear all over. :-P Dec 14, 2007

  • uselessness Hmmm...

    Anaerobic Dunce Herders?
    Burdened Cocaine Sharer?
    Cancerous Reared Behind?
    Caddie Nurse Abhorrence?
    Bread Endurance Heroics?
    Bra Redundancies Cohere?
    Burros Hernia Decadence?
    Reader Heard Concubines?
    Hardened Cubic Reasoner?
    Bacon Researched, Ruined? (OH NO!) Dec 14, 2007

  • reesetee Wow, that one's...interesting. :-> Dec 14, 2007

  • bilby Hang on, I took it c_b's comment to mean anagrams of 'chained underscore bear'. That's going to have thousands of permutations. urine cascaded beer horn might be one of them. Dec 14, 2007

  • reesetee Skipvia, you scamp! Dec 14, 2007

  • skipvia Next time you try to hug your computer, c_b, can I...ummm...watch? Dec 14, 2007

  • skipvia While we're still somewhat on the subject, here's a link to Monty Python's anagram sketch. Fun read. Dec 14, 2007

  • reesetee Claimed. Thanks, skipvia. Another few minutes and I'd have been in a real Earache_Bind. Dec 14, 2007

  • chained_bear I &hearts this page! *tries to hug it* Dec 14, 2007

  • skipvia I love "Slag-ass Macaroon!" What a great name for an anagram. Imagine..."That was some slag-ass macaroon you posted today, carbine_head."

    Claim it, reesetee. Quick. Dec 14, 2007

  • reesetee You're right, Carbine_Head. These are definitely some Mascaras Lagoons. I mean Sarcomas Analogs. Or wait...Mascara Goals Son. No, I mean Lasagna Sac Rooms. No, no, I have it: Macaroon Slag Ass. Dec 14, 2007

  • chained_bear Me too! I think Carbine_Head and Bean_Chaired are my favorites. Uselessness, you couldn't have known (could you have?) that one of my nicknames as a wee bear cub was "bean." And look! I grew up to have a job where all I do is sit in chairs!

    And skipvia, you went completely bonkers coming up with anagrams that also match the user. You all went nuts, though--these are some cool-ass anagrams. (By which I mean they are some cool ass-anagrams.) Dec 14, 2007

  • reesetee Censor? What censor?

    Carbine_Head! I love it! Now I have a riposte for when c_b calls me Gandhi! :-) Dec 14, 2007

  • skipvia I meant that in the most respectful of ways, U. You're my role model... :) Dec 14, 2007

  • uselessness I like. A lot. Though I have to wonder how I've struck you as crude... Dec 14, 2007

  • skipvia OK..I'll bite.

    Here are some underscore anagrams for:

    reesetee: censor rued
    chained_bear: endorse cur
    sionnach: cure drones
    uselessness: crude señor
    frangarnes: cured señor
    me: course nerd
    seanahan: runs recode (or maybe endures orc...)
    john: our sec nerd
    Dec 14, 2007

  • uselessness Beach_Rained
    Carbine_Head
    Ache_Brained
    Bean_Chaired
    A Race_Behind
    Cheer_Din, Baa
    Bed_Chi Arena
    Hard_Ice Bean
    Bare_Acne Hid
    Each_Dare Bin
    Be Each_Drain
    Rabid_Cane, Eh
    Earache_Bind
    Benched_Aria
    Behead_Cairn
    A Beach_Diner

    (Okay, so I added spaces and commas liberally. Sue me.) Dec 14, 2007

  • bilby *makes note* when cream pies are thrown at The Bear, The Bear prefers not to be missed. Kinky, but as my grandma said, that's the way of a concatenated_ursa. Dec 14, 2007

  • chained_bear Hi skipvia. I see I've been missed. I'm not sure how good a thing that is... :)

    So...? Where's a list of anagrams of "chained_bear"? Hmm? *waits*

    Think about all the cool things you could do (?) with that underscore too. I hereby give permission for the list to include anagrams of the word "underscore."

    Signed, Way Too Freakin' Lazy to Make Her Own. Or wait--was that Has Way Too Many of Her Own Lists Already? Dec 14, 2007

  • reesetee *looking away* Dec 14, 2007

  • uselessness Morbid, but painless. Don't be coining awesome new words and not linking them, you!! Dec 13, 2007

  • bilby I don't even know if it's an anagram. More of a cleavagram: I just chopped you into bits, uselessness. Was it ... pleasurable? Dec 13, 2007

  • uselessness Hmm, I guess they are rather endangered, aren't they? Gosh, now I'll never be able to look at my username the same way again... Dec 13, 2007

  • skipvia Ummm...I said "I HAD BEER CAN" and "CHAINED BARE."

    *Where are you, c_b? I'm baaaccckkk...* Dec 13, 2007

  • skipvia Touché, bilby... Dec 13, 2007

  • bilby Whoa, conserve your monsters there, u! Use less Ness! Dec 13, 2007

  • uselessness So it seems the best anagram of uselessness is "senseless us." Dec 13, 2007

  • reesetee Haha! Chained_bear: The Anagram. Love it!

    I had beer can.... Dec 13, 2007

  • bilby Just think of television programming over Christmas. Crams shit is very seasonal. Dec 13, 2007

  • skipvia Speaking of anagrams, have you noticed that "chained bear" can become I had beer can? How about I? A beach nerd? My favorite, though, is brained each. (Well, aside from the obvious chained bare...) Dec 13, 2007

  • reesetee :-D Dec 13, 2007

  • skipvia Absolutely. Virtual or otherwise...

    Signed, Mr. Ass Itch Dec 13, 2007

  • reesetee The best kind of friends. Dec 13, 2007

  • skipvia Only to friends who knew I was joking... Dec 13, 2007

  • reesetee Love it--great idea. Of course you signed them "Mr. Ass Itch," right? Dec 13, 2007

  • skipvia Here's part of a card that I sent out a few years ago, reesetee.

    Of course, I left out "this crams" and "crams shit" since they didn't seem too seasonal. Dec 13, 2007

  • reesetee HAHA! *runs off to rewrite Christmas cards* Dec 13, 2007

  • skipvia Is there a better word than Christmas for generating anagrams?

    Here are some nice seasonal ones:

    mirth sacs (think bowlful of jelly...)
    trims cash
    misc. trash

    Other cool ones:

    scrim hats
    art schism
    ram schist
    miss chart
    cart shims
    shirt cams
    car smiths
    marsh tics...

    Happy Holidays from Mr. Ass Itch...
    Dec 13, 2007

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‘anagram’ has been looked up 4344 times, loved by 5 people, added to 38 lists, commented on 55 times, and has a Scrabble score of 10.