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Definitions

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

  1. n. A word, phrase, verse, or sentence that reads the same backward or forward. For example: A man, a plan, a canal, Panama!
  2. 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.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

  1. n. A word, verse, or sentence that reads the same either from left to right or from right to left. The English language has few palindromes. Examples are—“Madam, I'm Adam” (supposed speech of Adam to Eve); “lewd did I live & evil I did dwel” (John Taylor).

Wiktionary

  1. n. A word, phrase, number or any other sequence of units which has the property of reading the same forwards as it does backwards, character for character, sometimes disregarding punctuation, capitalization and diacritics.
  2. n. A poetic form in which the sequence of words reads the same in either direction.
  3. n. A stretch of DNA in which the sequence of nucleotides on one strand are in the reverse order to that of the complementary strand

GNU Webster's 1913

  1. n. A word, verse, or sentence, that is the same when read backward or forward

WordNet 3.0

  1. n. a word or phrase that reads the same backward as forward

Etymologies

  1. From Greek palindromos, running back again, recurring : palin, again; see kwel-1 in Indo-European roots + dromos, a running.

Examples

  • “I can only liken this to one of Bob Dylans songs – written completely as a palindrome … or more recently Weird Als song also in palindrome entitled Bob.”

    What is missing? « Write Anything

  • “According to Wikipedia, a palindrome is “a word, phrase, number or other sequence of units that has the property of reading the same in either direction.””

    A problem with palindromes?

  • “Just reading a palindrome is a pretty good mental workout.”

    Simon & Schuster: The Next Ten Minutes

  • “For the hook and the boot and the pink thing I am willing to offer a 10,000 word palindrome that is also an anagram for the first 10,000 words of the KJV Old Testament and also encodes a non-trivial portion of the genome of a healthy member of the mammal or fish species of your choice while still making at least three 3 pithy and trenchant observations about whatever it was”

    Elevation: Raise Yer Game, Internets, for I Am Giving Away Hooks

  • “And I thought my “I found a 1200 word palindrome to get out of a Music Theory final in grad school” was good …”

    Taggy Taggerson and The Tagbots | Her Bad Mother

  • “* A palindrome is a word, phrase or car repair manual which reads the same backwards and forwards.”

    Heard By a Bird: December 3

  • “And I thought my "I found a 1200 word palindrome to get out of a Music Theory final in grad school" was good...”

    Taggy Taggerson and The Tagbots

  • “A palindrome is a word or a number or even a song that's the same backwards and forwards.”

    CNN Transcript Feb 20, 2002

  • “Martin's dexterity with words hit a peak in 2009, when he created a 224-word palindrome poem called Dammit I'm Mad.”

    Film | guardian.co.uk

  • “A palindrome is a word, phrase, or sentence that reads the same in both directions.”

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Lists

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

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  • oroboros A different sort of palindrome. Feb 19, 2011

  • roseandivy How come palindrome isn't spelled this same backwards and forwards? Apr 23, 2010

  • sonofgroucho A 224 word palindrome:

    "Dammit I’m Mad"

    by

    Demetri Martin

    Dammit I’m mad.
    Evil is a deed as I live.
    God, am I reviled? I rise, my bed on a sun, I melt.
    To be not one man emanating is sad. I piss.
    Alas, it is so late. Who stops to help?
    Man, it is hot. I’m in it. I tell.
    I am not a devil. I level “Mad Dog�?.
    Ah, say burning is, as a deified gulp,
    In my halo of a mired rum tin.
    I erase many men. Oh, to be man, a sin.
    Is evil in a clam? In a trap?
    No. It is open. On it I was stuck.
    Rats peed on hope. Elsewhere dips a web.
    Be still if I fill its ebb.
    Ew, a spider… eh?
    We sleep. Oh no!
    Deep, stark cuts saw it in one position.
    Part animal, can I live? Sin is a name.
    Both, one… my names are in it.
    Murder? I’m a fool.
    A hymn I plug, deified as a sign in ruby ash,
    A Goddam level I lived at.
    On mail let it in. I’m it.
    Oh, sit in ample hot spots. Oh wet!
    A loss it is alas (sip). I’d assign it a name.
    Name not one bottle minus an ode by me:
    “Sir, I deliver. I’m a dog�?
    Evil is a deed as I live.
    Dammit I’m mad. Mar 4, 2009

  • sionnach Young Sten nets gnu. Oy! Nov 2, 2008

  • Prolagus I found this Sator square on an Italian website:
    Sator amabo taxat Obama rotas
    "Sower Obama, as a favor to me, keeps touching his wheels". Oct 29, 2008

  • yarb The second one of those is brilliant! Oct 28, 2008

  • dontcry Maybe we can call these 'palindrones.' Oct 28, 2008

  • sionnach two Palin-dromes:

    Wasilla's all I saw.
    Peeks at foe Russia, is sure of task. Eep!

    (from the AWAD newsletter) Oct 28, 2008

  • skipvia Bilby's recent seeding of many excellent palindromes in various places around the Wordieverse reminds me of two things:

    1. I love palindromes.
    2. I suck at creating them. The best I can do is "You buoy!" or "Yo, Bob! Oy!" Oct 18, 2008

  • deliasailed delia sailed as sad elias ailed ;) Jun 30, 2008

  • oroboros See a whole list of these at DYSLEXIC'S DELIGHT. May 22, 2008

  • arcadia Anyone here seen the film "Palindrome"? It's very disturbing, but in the end one of the characters explains what a palindrome is and then recites one that is classic. -Definitely the best laugh of an otherwise dark drama. Jan 30, 2008

  • uselessness Oh, chiasmus. That's like the word racecar, isn't it? ;-) Jan 25, 2008

  • sionnach U: There you go again with unwarranted assumptions. I can tell a palindrome from an example of chiasmus at 100 paces, no matter what you care to call your contributions.

    And I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy. Jan 25, 2008

  • uselessness I think a lot of people around here are confused about what a palindrome is, and some are confused about what it is not. (See, I made one right there!!) Jan 25, 2008

  • sionnach I LOVE THE DOVE
    (a poem, of sorts)


    I love the dove.
    I do yoga today.
    Anita washes the bath.
    The abbot gave rice to the vixen.
    Vixen, we already have rice!

    Don't see the point? Who could blame you? Let's try it again, in Spanish:

    AMO LA PALOMA

    Amo la paloma.
    Yo hago yoga hoy.
    Anita lava la tina.
    Dábale arroz a la zorra el abad
    ¡ Zorra, ya hay arroz ! Jan 25, 2008

  • asativum Didn't Bacon collaborate with the Earl of Sandwich too? Jan 25, 2008

  • reesetee I always mix those guys up. ;-> Jan 25, 2008

  • yarb No, that was the Earl of Oxford in collaboration with Bacon. Jan 25, 2008

  • asativum Wasn't Shakespeare the guy who wrote Colours of Good and Evil and the Meditationes Sacrae? Jan 25, 2008

  • uselessness Oh come on, oroboros, that's not a palindrome! Jan 25, 2008

  • oroboros "A man, a plan, a canoe, pasta, heros, rajahs, a coloratura, maps, snipe, percale, macaroni, a gag, a banana bag, a tan, a tag, a banana bag again (or a camel), a crepe, pins, Spam, a rut, a Rolo, cash, a jar, sore hats, a peon, a canal---Panama!"

    -- Guy L. Steele, Jr. Jan 25, 2008

  • reesetee Shakespeare? Never heard of the guy. What does he write? Jan 25, 2008

  • yarb She sells seashells by the seashore. Jan 24, 2008

  • uselessness Are you thinking of "to be or not to be?" That's a definite palindrome. That Shakespeare sure knew his stuff. Jan 24, 2008

  • skipvia Ooh, ooh...isn't "Do be a do bee" one also? That's either from Frank Sinatra or Romper Room... Jan 24, 2008

  • uselessness Ooh, I know a good palindrome too!
    Never let a kiss fool you, or a fool kiss you. Jan 24, 2008

  • seanahan Best palindrome ever. Jan 24, 2008

  • gangerh Do as I say, not as I do. Jan 24, 2008

  • pomegranate Was it a car or a cat I saw?

    A Toyota's a Toyota.

    A dog, a panic in a pagoda. Jan 5, 2008

  • reesetee That's just scary. Sep 17, 2007

  • npydyuan Wow! Sep 17, 2007

  • uselessness The longest palindrome in the world. Sep 17, 2007

  • npydyuan Go hang a salami; I'm a lasagna hog! Sep 17, 2007

  • npydyuan Spot's regal lager's tops! Sep 17, 2007

  • arby I always think of TMBG when I hear this word - not only "I Palindrome I" but so many of John L's lyrics are all about the palindromes.

    Also, for some reason this word reminds me of dromedary. May 18, 2007

  • fangio My favorite palindrome:

    A man, a plan, a canal: panama Dec 26, 2006

  • haguremetaru palindrome: How I learned the definition:


    Anna is a palindrome. So is Otto. Dec 9, 2006

‘palindrome’ has been looked up 3793 times, loved by 18 people, added to 134 lists, commented on 38 times, and has a Scrabble score of 15.