palindrome
UK /ˈpælɪndɹəʊm/ · US /ˈpælɪndɹoʊm/ noun
Forms palindromes
- noun 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.
- noun (by extension) A poetic form in which the sequence of words reads the same in either direction.
- noun (by extension) A sequence of items that follows the same pattern both forwards and backwards.
- noun (genetics) A stretch of DNA in which the sequence of nucleotides on one strand are in the reverse order to that of the complementary strand
Etymology
From Ancient Greek παλίνδρομος (palíndromos, “running back again”), from πάλιν (pálin, “back, again, back again”) + δρόμος (drómos, “running, race, racecourse”). By surface analysis, palin- + -drome (compare also velodrome and syndrome).
Webster’s 1913
- noun A word, verse, or sentence, that is the same when read backward or forward; as, madam; Hannah; or Lewd did I live, & evil I did dwel.
Etymology [Gr. palindrome.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “palindrome”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details