- palindrome
- palindromes
- palindromic
- palindromic prime
"palindrome"
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Translations:Etymology: From Greek "again" + "-drome" = "course", "road".
- Dutch: "palindroom"
- French: "palindrome"
- German: "Palindrom" (trans-mid)
- Italian: "palindromo"
- Spanish: "palíndromo" capicíºa (trans-bottom)
Meaning: No, it isn't Sarah Palin's home, but one of two other things.Notes: A writer of palindromes is a "palindromist", whose writings are "palindromic" or, if you need an extra syllable, "palindromical". The adverb is "palindromically". I'm not quite sure what we might do palindromically but, should we ever need to, we have a word for it.
- 1. A number, word, or phrase with characters in the same order forwards and backwards, as in the case of madam or nurses run.
- 2. (Biogenetics) A double strand of DNA in which the sequence of nucleotides in one strand is the reverse of that in the other.
In Play: 'In Play' is the place for palindromes, for palindromes are all play. "Go hang a salami; I'm a lasagna hog!" reads the same from left to right and right to left (ignoring punctuation, of course). "Was it Eliot's toilet I saw?" is another. "Hannah" from "Adaven, Nevada" has a palindromic name in a palindromic town. How about that?
Word History: Today's Good Word is a mild makeover of Greek "palindromos" = "running back again, recurring", made up of "palin" = "again, backwards" + "dromos" = "running, race, course". We find the root of "palin" in words referring to things ancient, such as "paleontology" and "paleology" = "study of antiquities". "Dromos" comes from a root word that survived in Serbian and Romanian as "drum" = "road". It is found in several other English words borrowed from Greek, including "hippodrome", originally a stadium where "horses" (Greek "hippos") run, "aerodrome", a synonym of "airport", where airplane runways are found, and "syndrome", from "syn" = "(together) with" + "dromos", a set of symptoms that run together.
NOUN:ETYMOLOGY: From Greek "palindromos", "running back again", "recurring" : "palin" = "again"; see "kwel-" (1) in Appendix I + "dromos" = "a running". OTHER FORMS: "palindromic", DJECTIVE
- 1. A word, phrase, verse, or sentence that reads the same backward or forward. For example: "A man, a plan, a canal, Panama!"
- 2. A segment of double-stranded DNA in which the nucleotide sequence of one strand reads in reverse order to that of the complementary strand.
'A Healing Palindrome'
New Harmony, Indiana
Part of a worldwide art project, this mysterious semicircle of concrete shapes holds the pieces of a larger story.
IN THE FIELD JUST BELOW the Atheneum in the charming town of New Harmony, Indiana, you’ll find a surprising display: a partial circle of about 20 mysterious concrete shapes.
This is "A Healing Palindrome", one of the largest installations of Kcymaerxthaere, a global work of multivalent storytelling by artist Eames Demetrios. A series of plaques and other markers around the world honor events that have taken place in a parallel universe that, according to Demetrios, “co-exists to some degree with ours.” Most of these installations are bronze or stone plaques inscribed with stories but some are larger, even entire buildings. As of 2021, there are more than 140 sites spread across six continents and 30 countries.
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Gaze in awe at Belphegor's Prime: 1000000000000066600000000000001 is a palindromic prime number, with 666 hiding among the zeros.
"Belphegor's prime" is the palindromic prime number 1000000000000066600000000000001, a number which reads the same both backwards and forwards and is only divisible by itself and one.
The name "Belphegor" refers to one of the Seven Princes of Hell, who was charged with helping people make ingenious inventions and discoveries. "Belphegor's prime" is a name coined by book author Clifford A. Pickover.
The number itself contains superstitious elements that have given it its name: the number 666 at the heart of Belphegor's Prime is widely associated as being the Number of the Beast, used in symbolism to represent one of the creatures in the Apocalypse or, more commonly, the Devil. This number is surrounded on either side by thirteen zeroes, with thirteen itself long regarded superstitiously as an unlucky number. Also, it in total has 31 digits, which is thirteen backwards.
In the short scale, this number would be named "One nonillion, sixty-six quadrillion, six hundred trillion and one". In the long scale, this number's name would be "One quintillion, sixty-six billiard, six hundred billion and one".
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"Belphegor" ist die in der Septuaginta und dann in der Vulgata (Beelphegor VUL) überlieferte Namensform der moabitischen Gottheit "Baal Peor" „Herr des Peor“) oder auch "Baal Pegor". Als Dämon fand "Belphegor" Eingang in die christliche Mythologie und von dort in die Literatur der Renaissance und die neuzeitliche Populärkultur.
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Clifford Alan Pickover (born 15 August 1957) is an American author, editor, and columnist in the fields of science, mathematics, science fiction, innovation, and creativity and is employed at the IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center in Yorktown, New York. He is Editor-in-Chief of the IBM Journal of Research and Development, has been granted more than 200 U.S. patents, is an elected Fellow for the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, and is author of more than 50 books, translated into dozens of languages.
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List of Palindromes (& How To Create Your Own Palindromes)
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What are Palindromes?
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History of Palindromes
Everything has a history, and palindromes are certainly not a new thing.
While new palindromes are created all the time (recent additions to our everyday lexicon include "yay" and "LOL") their history goes all the way back to Classical Greece and the ancient Greek poet Sotades, who in the 3rd century BCE created what was known as the "Sotadean verse". This verse was occasionally palindromic – and may have been so deliberately.
Over in Herculaneum, meanwhile, an ancient city covered in ash not long after the birth of Christ, a palindrome was found on a stone slab. In its original Latin, it read "Sator Arepo Tenet Opera Rotas".
Roughly translated, it means "The sower Arepo holds with effort the wheels."
If you arrange it into a word square, you can read it in four different ways. Pretty damn cool.
Then there are examples of Byzantine baptismal fonts, which were frequently inscribed with a popular palindrome of the time – "Nipson anomemata me monan opsin", which translated as "Wash your sins, not only your face."
Fast-forward to Venice in 1802, where a Greek poet wrote a poem entirely in Ancient Greek, in which every single line was a palindrome. Considering that there were 455 lines altogether, that’s some feat.
And while the English language has contained multiple palindromes for years, English writers formerly were always more obsessed with Greek and Latin palindromic sentences. In fact, it wasn’t until 1614 when the first English-language palindromic sentence was written. The line was "Lewd did I live, & evil I did dwell", and it was coined by John Taylor.
Today, English-language palindromes are more popular – and recognised – than ever. Indeed, there’s even a "World Palindrome Championship" set in the USA, while the Scottish poet Alastair Reid was responsible for this rather over-the-top effort:
"T. Eliot, top bard, notes putrid tang emanating, is sad; I’d assign it a name; gnat dirt upset on drab pot toilet."
Quite. And that’s probably enough history for now.
Palindromes
- Aa Reichenbach f., 1854 (orchid) When he split this genus from the genus Altensteinia, Reichenbach kept just the first and last letters of the parent genus.
- Aa Baker, 1940 (mollusk)
- Aia Eyton, 1838 (bird)
- Aka White, 1879 (bug)
- Aka de Laubenfels, 1936 (sponge)
- Ala Lockington, 1877 (crust.)
- Aoa Nicéville, 1898 (lep)
- Ara de Lacepède, 1799 (macaw)
- Asa Basterot, 1825 (mollusk)
- Aza Mulsant, 1850 (beetle)
- Anna Risso, 1826 (mollusk)
- Assa (Australian frog)
- Atta Frabricius, 1805 (leafcutter ant)
- Ababa Casey, 1897 (beetle)
- Ailia Gray, 1831 (fish)
- Ainia Jordon, 1919 (fish)
- Arara Spix, 1824 (bird)
- Sidis Pascoe, 1866 (beetle)
- Sudus Kissinger, 1964 (weevil)
- dixid (fly)
- Sullus Oken, 1816 (fish)
- Aragara Walker, 1860 (fly)
- Afgoiogfa (hymenopteran)
- Aidemedia James and Olson, 1991 (Hawaiian drepanidine finch)
- Allenella (mollusc)
- Agonopteryx allenella (oecophorid moth)
- Bibarrambla allenella (oecophorid moth)
- Aha ha Menke, 1977 (sphecid wasp)
- Xela alex Thompson, 1999 (syrphid fly)
- Orizabus subaziro Ratcliffe (scarab)
- Lamprima aenea (Fabricius, 1792) (beetle)
- Palindroma morogorom, P. aleykyela, P. avonova, P. sinis, and P. obmoimiombo Jocqué & Henrard, 2015 (spiders) The specific epithets are palindromized versions of "Morogoro" and "Kyela" (type localities in Tanzania), "nova" (new, referring to the genus and species), "sin" (Spanish for 'without', referring to virtual absense of a retrolateral tibial apophysis), and "miombo" (the type of woodland in which the spider was collected). No reason was given for naming the genus after "palindrome". [Euro. J. Taxon. 152: 1-33]
- Pseudoglomeris aerea (cockroach)
- Vegavis iaai Clarke et al. 2005 (Cretaceous bird) Named for the Argentine Antarctica Institute (IAA). [Nature 433: 305]
Making the Most of Palindromes
By Guest Author
- "Borrow or rob"
- "Dennis and Edna sinned"
ROTAS OPERA TENET AREPO SATOR
The words literally mean, "The farmer Arepo uses his plough as his form of work", and have been discovered etched onto several Roman buildings across Europe. Some have suggested that the graffiti is evidence of an early Christian household - the letters, stretched out, make the phrase PATER NOSTER ("Our Father") in the shape of a cross, with a spare A and O (representing Alpha and Omega). Alternatively, it has been described as a piece of magical incantation, used in Greek-inspired mystery religion. The word Abracadabra was used in a similar way in the second century as a triangular chant believed to posses healing properties.
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- "Satan, oscillate my metallic sonatas"
- "Ten animals I slam in a net"
- "Mike Kim"
- "A nut for a jar of tuna"
- "Able was I ere I saw Elba."
- "Are we not drawn onward, we few, drawn onward to new era?"
Fun With Words: Palindromes
By Sharon
Palindromes are words, phrases or number sequences that read the same way in both directions. Palindrome derives from the Greek for ‘running back again’. Both the Greeks and Romans are known to have enjoyed palindromes. The Greeks also published palindromic poetry.
Common words that are palindromes include:Some famous palindrome phrases are:
- civic
- eye
- level
- nun
- pop
- radar
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- Able was I ere I saw Elba
- A man, a plan, a canal - Panama!
- Madam, I’m Adam
Neil/Fred's Gigantic List of Palindromes
Editor's Note, December 1996
Well, when I started this page, there weren't, as far as I know (or knew), any other palindrome lists on the web. Now I haven't really updated this list in almost a year, although I've received a few hundred email messages with additions and praise. And now there are several other palindrome sites, so I've decided to stop maintaining my list. So don't mail me any additions. Thanks.
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- Standard Palindromes: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
- Panama Palindromes
- Palindromic Poems
- Foreign Palindromes: Dutch Finnish French German Latin Swedish Welsh
- Word Palindromes
- Palindromic Computer Programs
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11/11/11: Why is today so rare and unusual?
November 11, 2011 ?by: Dictionary.com blog ?in: hidden meaning, Language
11/11/11 is a much-anticipated day. Obviously, it contains all of the same digits (like 1/1/1, 2/2/2 and so on…), and it is a palindromic date. (That means the numbers are the same backwards and forwards). 11 is a very odd number and has been subject to much interpretation over the ages. According to Yahoo! News, medieval [...]
Read more »
Bob, radar. Backwards & forwards they’re palindromes. What may be the longest single palindromic word?
August 5, 2010 ?by: Dictionary.com blog ?in: Language
Poor Dan is in a droop. Sit on a potato pan, Otis. What do these sentences have in common? They’re both palindromes. A palindrome is a word, number, sentence, or verse that reads the same backward or forward. It derives from the Greek palin dromo, which means “running back again.” In most palindromes, spacing, punctuation, [...]
Read more »
SATOR AREPO TENET OPERA ROTASand is capable of several translations, the most plausible being "The sower Arepo holds the wheels with care." Its significance and purpose have been vigorously debated since the late 19th century.
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- 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.
ORIGIN OF PALINDROME
First recorded in 1630–40; from Greek "palíndromos" = "recurring", equivalent to "pálin" = "back", "again" + "-dromos" = "running", "race" (see "-drome")
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Where does palindrome come from?
The first records of the term "palindrome" come from around 1630. It comes from the Greek "palíndromos", meaning "recurring". A word or phrase that is spelled the same way backward as it does forward might be thought of as having recurring letters.
Palindromes are a literary device similar to alliteration or rhyme schemes, which allow writers to add an extra layer of written complexity to their works. Sometimes a product or brand with a palindromic name is more memorable, such as the Honda "Civic", "Xerox" [?] printers, "Elle" magazine, and "OXO" cooking products.
A "palindrome" is a word, phrase, or sentence that reads the same if read forward or backward.
Palindrome examples
- madam
- eve
- noon
- dog god
- ward draw
- live evil
- A man, a plan, a canal. Panama!
- Madam, I’m Adam!
- Was it a cat I saw?
"Poor Dan is in a droop." "Sit on a potato pan, Otis." What do these — admittedly very unusual — sentences have in common?
A "palindrome" is a word, sentence, verse, or even number that reads the same backward or forward. It derives from Greek roots that literally mean "running back" ("palin" is "again", "back", and "dromos", "running".) The word appears to have been created in English based on these roots in the early 1600s.
Words like "hippodrome" or "velodrome" also feature the Greek "dromos".
So, a "palindrome" is like a word, phrase, or number that “runs back” on itself. This bit of wordplay is not the same thing as when you rearrange the letters of a word or phrase to spell another one. That’s called an "anagram".
In palindromes, spacing, punctuation, and capitalization are usually ignored.
What are some examples of palindromes?
We use palindromes everyday without thinking about it. Common palindromic — that’s the adjective for palindrome — words include: "noon", "civic", "racecar", "level", and "mom".
The Finnish word for "soapstone vendor" is supposedly the longest palindrome in everyday use: "saippuakivikauppias".
The palindrome "Malayalam" is also of significant length. "Malayalam" is a language spoken in South India.
That’s 12 letters. As for the longest palindrome phrase? In 2002 (a palindromic year, we should note), computer scientist Peter Norvig created a program that generated a palindrome consisting of 74,633 letters. Talk about a man (with a) a plan …
Palindromes can be given names. Consider the familiar likes of "Bob", "Anna", "Hannah", "Eve", and "Elle". Place names can be palindromes too, such as "Semmes" (in Alabama) and "Ward Draw" (South Dakota).
Palindromes can also be phrases and complete sentences, such as "No lemon, no melon", and "Mr. Owl ate my metal worm."
List of palindromes and palindrome phrasesCan numbers be palindromes?
- kayak
- deified
- rotator
- repaper
- deed
- peep
- wow
- noon
- civic
- racecar
- level
- mom
- bird rib
- taco cat
- UFO tofu
- Borrow or rob?
- Never odd or even.
- We panic in a pew.
- Won’t lovers revolt now?
- Ma is a nun, as I am.
- Don’t nod.
- Sir, I demand, I am a maid named Iris.
- Was it a car or a cat I saw?
- Yo, Banana Boy!
- Eva, can I see bees in a cave?
- Madam, in Eden, I’m Adam.
- A man, a plan, a canal, Panama!
- Never a foot too far, even.
- Red roses run no risk, sir, on Nurse’s order.
- He lived as a devil, eh?
- Ned, I am a maiden.
- Now, sir, a war is won!
- Evade me, Dave!
- Dennis and Edna sinned.
- Step on no pets!
Numbers that read the same forward and back, such as "888" or "1,234,321" are called "palindromic numbers". Calendar dates are another fun instance of palindromic numbers as many dates resemble palindromes when written in certain formats. For example, a bunch of the dates in "February 2022" are palindromes when written in certain month/day/year formats: "February 27" ("2/27/22"), "February 20" ("2/20/2022"), and "February 2" ("2/2/22"). That last one, Groundhog Day, seems particularly fitting as ol’ Punxsutawney Phil may be followed by his own shadow! And "February 22, 2022" — formatted in the US as "2/2/22" — falls on a Tuesday, lending this palindromic the punning nickname of "Twosday".
What is a fear of palindromes?
If you’re less than fond of this topic, you may need to add one more palindrome to your vocabulary. "Aibohphobia" is the word (unofficially) used to refer to an "irrational fear of palindromes". It was created to be a palindrome itself, with the word "phobia" ("intense, persistent, irrational fear of a specific object") humorously used — you guessed it — forward and back. ["aiboh p hobia"]
"Palindrome" also has a specific application in biochemistry. Here, it is 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".
Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Zo's Palindromes Palindrome's World
Palindromes
A "palindrome" is a word, a phrase, or a sequence of words that read the same way in either direction, as with "madam", "don't nod", and "Eva, can I see bees in a cave?" A palindrome can include spaces and punctuation.
The word comes from the Greek palindromos ("running back again"; palin "back," dromos "direction"). Its original meaning applied to the backward movement of a crab.
Sources suggest different dates of the word's earliest use, but they seem to agree that it appeared sometime between the first and third centuries A.D. It is cited as having been introduced into English in the seventeenth century by a British poet and writer.
Some of the most common palindromes are character units that form the same word front to back and back to front.
ExamplesYou'll also find palindromes as multi-word phrases.
- civic
- gig
- kayak
- level
- noon
- pop
- racecar
- radar
- refer
- rotator
- sagas
- solos
- stats
- tenet
- wow
ExamplesThe marvel of palindromes reveals itself most when they extend into full sentences.
- a man, a plan, a canal—Panama!
- a nut for a jar of tuna
- my gym
- never odd or even
- no lemon, no melon
- no trace; not one carton
- rawer as a reward
- so many dynamos
- too hot to hoot
- top spot
ExamplesThe longest palindromic sentence on record contains 21,012 words (a number that is itself a palindrome). The designer, Peter Norvig, released it at 20:02 (U.S. military time) on 02/20/2002.
- Are we not drawn onward, we few, drawn onward to new era?
- Bombard a drab mob.
- Do geese see God?
- Gateman sees name; garageman sees nametag.
- Marge lets Norah see Sharon's telegram.
- Some men interpret nine memos.
- Step on no pets. Mr. Owl ate my metal worm.
- Too bad—I hid a boot.
- Was it a car or a cat I saw?
Created Mar 16, 2000 | Updated Jan 28, 2002
A "palindrome" is a nifty little word or sentence which can be read the same way both forwards and backwards. The following is a classic example of a palindrome concerning Theodore Roosevelt referring to how the United States borrowed a strategic piece of Central America for nearly a century:
A man, a plan, a canal, Panama
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"Palindromes" are spelled the same, backwards or forwards, such as "mom", "race car", or "deified". Entire phrases can be palindromes. Punctuation does not prevent a sentence or phrase from being considered a palindrome, eg, "Dogma: I am God." counts as a palindrome. Here are some more examples:
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Showing posts with label Palindromes.
Saturday, 22 May 2010
Policy Wonks Know It Backwards
Posted by M.H. Forsyth
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Monday, 12 April 2010
Llareggub Yobs
Posted by M.H. Forsyth
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Friday, 6 November 2009
What the Dickens?
Posted by M.H. Forsyth
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Showing posts with label Palindromes. Show all posts
Saturday, 22 May 2010 - Policy Wonks Know It Backwards - Posted by M.H. Forsyth
The left-winger said all the other candidates were "policy wonks" and "men in their 40s who played football together". - Diane Abbott in The Mirror
This takes us to what might prove the biggest problem of all: that four ex-wonks with limited life experience - The Guardian
There is, as everybody knows, a figure of speech that if you know something well, you know it backwards. Therefore, if you know something backwards, you wonk it. Hence a policy wonk.
It is the same formation as yob, Llareggub and mooreeffoc, all of which I have blogged upon before. The first words ever said by one human to another were palindromic:
Madam, I'm Adam.
P.S. This is one of those occasions where the OED has clearly got it wrong. They conflate two different uses of the word and then suggest that over-brainy people at Harvard wouldn't spend their time making up semordnilaps.
Monday, 12 April 2010 - Llareggub Yobs - Posted by M.H. Forsyth
I was told the other day that a yob was a backwards boy. I didn't believe it. So many etymologies are much too neat and fanciful, especially the ones that involve acronyms and the movement of letters (shit does not mean Store High In Transit). But having pooh-poohed the idea I returned to my burrow and checked a dictionary only to discover that it really is backslang.
Backslang was a code used by Victorian costermongers and Edwardian thieves. There appears to have been quite a wide (and potentially limitless) vocabulary. I'm not sure how far you can credit The Box of Delights* (1935) with linguistic accuracy, but in it two would-be kidnappers use the phrase "Kool slop" which is explained thuslyly:
We would point out that the mystic words uttered by the reprobates are common thieves' slang: 'Kool slop' is what is called back slang: the words Look Police turned backwards. It is a familiar warning in the underworld.
This seems credible because the thing about backslang is that you have to be able to spell. To know that yob is boy backwards means that you know that Y can function as a consonant or a vowel - knowledge that would be denied to your typical urchin before the educational reforms of the 1880s.
[Londoners: there's a lovely point that when the tube was built it was assumed that most of the passengers would be illiterate so they wouldn't know when the train had arrived at their stop. That's why each station has a different pretty pattern of tiles. It is for the use of the illiterate. The same goes for pub signs, but I'm wandering.]
Under Milk Wood by Dylan Thomas is the only good radio-play ever written, and is set in the Welsh town of Llareggub, which is deliciously convincing as all Welsh place names are invented by throwing consonants into a blender, or by very lazy Countdown contestants.
However, the reversible nature of Llareggub was considered so obvious by the printers that early editions changed it to Llaregyb, just to be on the safeside.
The Reverend Eli Jenkins, inky in his cool front parlour or poem-room, tells only the truth in his Lifework--the Population, Main Industry, Shipping, History, Topography, Flora and Fauna of the town he worships in--the White Book of Llarregub.
Which shows that I am not the only inky fellow in the land.
It is the glamour of grammar, let a human into the secrets of the written word and he will start playing with anagrams, acronyms, "palindromes" and "semordnilaps"; inventing, rearranging, tangling and encrypting.
There is an almost holy feel to it, which is perhaps why so many people spend so much time trying to decode the Bible. Of course, this is hard for English speakers (unless you believe the King James Version to be divinely inspired), but in Hebrew you can have hours of fun counting the alephs and deducing the mind of God. As Coleman says in Antic Hay when asked who the devil he is:
'I am that I am,' said Coleman. 'But I have with me [...] a physiologue, a pedagogue and a priapagogue; for I leave out of account mere artists and journalists whose titles do not end with the magic syllable. And finally,' indicating himself, 'plain Dog, which being interpreted kabbalistically backwards, signifies God. 'All at your service.'
"I am that I am", is another of God's titles and a picture of NATASHA I is used to similar effect in Nick Cave's And the Ass Saw the Angel while Red Rum, who won the Grand National whilst I was being born, had his name rudely hijacked by Stephen King. I have blogged before on the wonderful word mooreeffoc, any schoolchild knows which cheese is made backwards and anybody who will pay a pound for a bottle of Evian water is just that.
Yet I'm sure I'm forgetting one of the great examples of what are apparently called "semordnilaps" ("palindromes" backwards). And it's not even T.S. Eliot's morbid insistence on his middle initial.
T. Eliot, top bard, notes putrid tang emanating, is sad. I'd assign it a name: gnat dirt upset on drab pot-toilet. - Auden (allegedly)
Dylan Thomas' map of Llareggub
No prizes for guessing what book I re-read a couple of weeks ago.
P.S. There's a good article on backslang here.
Friday, 6 November 2009 - What the Dickens? - Posted by M.H. Forsyth
The only reason T.S. Eliot insisted on his middle initial was that he was morbidly aware of what his name would have spelled backwards without it. Auden (whose H was idiopathic) wrote a palindrome on the subject:
T. Eliot, top bard, notes putrid tang emanating, is sad. I'd assign it a name: gnat dirt upset on drab pot-toilet.
S was a real name, though, it stood (appropriately) for Stearns, a name by which he briefly tried to be known as a student: i.e. T. Stearns Eliot. This is, incidentally, the reason that it's the Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock. The debilitating fear of the cloacal also produced, through inversion, the completely superfluous reference to the Turdus aonalaschkae pallasii, in the author's notes on The Waste Land.
Meanwhile the phrase "What the Dickens" has nothing whatsoever to do with Charles Dickens (unless Shakespeare was blessed with the gift of prognostication). It pops up in "The Merry Wives of Windsor" and is derived (like almost every other renaissance expletive) from Devil.
Just a little follow-up to my post on the grammar of Dickens and Eliot.
The original Dickens
Search Results for: palindrome
- PALINDROMES AT BLETCHLEY.
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September 2013
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- ?Palindrome: Able was I ere I saw Elba David A. Daniel
- ?Palindrome: Able was I ere I saw Elba Benjamin Barrett
- ?Palindrome: Able was I ere I saw Elba ADSGarson O'Toole
- ?Palindrome: Able was I ere I saw Elba Stephen Goranson
- ?Palindrome: Able was I ere I saw Elba Amy West
- ?Palindrome: Able was I ere I saw Elba Benjamin Barrett
- ?Palindrome: Able was I ere I saw Elba ADSGarson O'Toole
July 2010
- •Palindrome David A. Daniel
- ?Palindrome Jonathan Lighter
- ?Palindrome Eric Nielsen
- ?Palindrome David A. Daniel
- ?Palindrome Jonathan Lighter
- ?Palindrome victor steinbok
October 2007
- •palindromic? Arnold M. Zwicky
- ?palindromic? Benjamin Zimmer
- ?palindromic? Arnold M. Zwicky
January 2007
- •Palindrome: "MOM" but not "DAD" Charles Doyle
- ?Palindrome: "MOM" but not "DAD" Mark A. Mandel
- ?Palindrome: "MOM" but not "DAD" Joel S. Berson
January 2001
- •Cancrine (palindromic) Paul McFedries
The inscription side of the amulet contains a Greek inscription.
The amulet contains a Greek inscription, 59 letters long, which reads the same backwards as it does forwards, a feature known as a palindrome. The three letters at the very bottom, "EAI", were squeezed in and are hard to read. The amulet is about 1.4 inches by 1.6 inches (34.9 millimeters by 41.2 millimeters) in size. The inscription translates as "Iahweh is the bearer of the secret name, the lion of Re secure in his shrine." Although the translation doesn’t read as a palindrome, the original ancient Greek text does.
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A word, phrase, or sentence that's spelled the same backwards and forwards.
In its most literal sense, "palindrome" means "running back again".
The "-drome" is from Greek "dromos", or "running" (which also gives us the name of that speedy desert runner, the "dromedary"). The "palin" means "again".
"I don't know about you, but I just can't decide whether my favorite palindrome is "Sit on a pan, Otis!" or "Go hang a salami - I'm a lasagna hog"."
Palindrome | Palindromic Numbers
palindrome | palindromic prime
0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 22, 33, 44, 55, 66, 77, 88, 99, 101, 111, 121, 131, 141, 151, 161, 171, 181, 191, 202, 212, 222, 232, 242, 252, 262, 272, 282, 292, 303, 313, 323, 333, 343, 353, 363, 373, 383, 393, 404, 414, 424, 434, 444, 454, 464, 474, 484, 494, 505, 515, ...
...
The On-Line Encyclopedia of Integer Sequences!
Search: "palindrome" | "palindromic"
characteristic functions (100): A136522 A002113 A029742 palindrome
A002113 (palindromes)
numbers whose cube is a palindrome: A002760
- palindromes , sequences related to :
- palindromes, A002113*, A061917
- palindromes, "pi" for: A136687, A137180
- palindromes, characteristic function of: A136522
- palindromes, in base 2: A057148*, A006995*, A062014, A062019
- palindromes, in bases 10 and n: (1): A007632, A007633, A029961, A029962, A029963, A029964, A029804, A029965, A029966, A029967, A029968, A029969,
- palindromes, in bases 10 and n: (2): A029970, A029731, A097855, A099165
- palindromes, in bases 2 through 10: A006995, A014190, A014192, A029952, A029953, A029954, A029803, A029955, A002113
- palindromes, intrinsic: A060873-A060879, A060947-A060949
- palindromes, multiples of n which give: A062279, A061674, A062293, A061797, A050782, A050810
- palindromes, populations of: A050250, A050683, A050251, A050684, A050685
- palindromes, see also (1): A007500, A002778, A007633, A007573, A002780, A006995, A007632, A003098, A007616, A003166, A002779, A002069
- palindromes, see also (2): A002781, A006960
- palindromic primes: see primes, palindromic
- palindromic squares: A003166 for base 2, A029984 for base 3, A029986 for base 4, A029988 for base 5, A029990 for base 6, A029992 for base 7, A029805 for base 8, A029994 for base 9, A002778 for base 10, A029996 for base 11, A029733 for base 16, A118651 for base 17
- palindromic squares: see also A016106, A028818, A059744, A059745
- palindromic, not: non-palindromic numbers: A033868, A016038, A047811, A050813
- panarithmic numbers: A005153*
primes, dihedral palindromic: A048662
- primes, palindromic: A002385*, A007500, A007616
- primes, palindromic: see also (1) A016041 A029971 A029972 A029973 A029974 A029975 A029976 A029977 A029978 A029979 A029980 A029981
- primes, palindromic: see also (2) A029982 A029732 A046942 A046941 A050236 A050239 A039954 A118064 A119351 A016115 A050251 A050683
- primes, palindromic, smoothly undulating, sequences related to :
- primes, palindromic, smoothly undulating, A062209 A062210 A062211 A062212 A062213 A062214 A062215 A062216 A062217 A062218 A062219 A062220
- primes, palindromic, smoothly undulating, A062221 A062222 A062223 A062224 A062225 A062226 A062227 A062228 A062229 A062230 A062231 A062232
- primes, palindromic, smoothly undulating, A077799 A059758 A032758
squares, palindromic: see palindromic squares
trees, H*-palindromic, A051174
We found 51 dictionaries with English definitions that include the word palindrome:
Palindromes Are Really, Really Fun
Show off your knowledge of wordplay!
"Palindrome": a word, phrase, number, or other sequence of symbols or elements, whose meaning may be interpreted the same way in either forward or reverse direction. Famous examples include "Amore, Roma", "A man, a plan, a canal: Panama" and "No ‘x’ in ‘Nixon’". Composing literature in palindromes is an example of constrained writing. The word "palindrome" was coined from the Greek roots "palin" ("again") and "dromos" ("way", "direction") by the English writer Ben Jonson in the 17th century.
a | b | c | d | e | f | g | h | i | k | l | m | n | o | p | r | s | t | u | w | y | z
Shiver in ecstasy. 2015 (11111011111) is a palindromic binary year.
What did the palindrome & math lover say when she was offered cake?
Answer: "I prefer pi."
This list of palindromic primes was created by G. L. Honaker Jr. in 1999
Explore the history of palindromes and some of their best — and weirdest — uses
...
The History of Palindromes
“Palindrome” derives from the Greek word "palíndromos", meaning "running back again". However, the use of palindromes was not exclusive to the Greeks. Since at least 79 AD, "palindromes" appeared in Latin, Hebrew, and Sanskrit. English poet John Taylor was hailed as one of the first palindrome writers when he wrote: "Lewd did I live, & evil I did dwel."
In the following centuries, palindromes increased in popularity, and by 1971, the Guinness Book of World Records began to officially recognize the world's longest palindromes. Between 1971 and 1980, the winner grew from 242 words to 11,125 words. Today, palindromes are celebrated on "Palindrome Days", when the numerical date is itself a palindrome (e.g. "11/02/2011").
With palindromes, the same rules of punctuation, capitalization and spacing don’t apply. For example, the word "Hannah" is a palindrome, even though both "H’s" aren’t capitalized. And what about words that spell another word backwards, like "live" becoming "evil"? That’s called a "semordnilap", which happens to be itself a "semordnilap" of "palindrome".
Record-Breaking Palindromes
You're probably familiar with some of the most famous palindromes in the English language, like "Madam, I'm Adam" and "a nut for a jar of tuna." How many of these lesser-known, record-breaking palindromes do you know?
The longest palindromic English word, according to the Guinness Book of World records: "detartrated". The Guinness Book of Records bestowed the honor of longest English palindrome to "detartrated", which is the preterit and past participle of "detartrate", meaning "to remove tartrates", or organic compounds. Unlike most English palindromes, which usually have seven letters or fewer, this has 11 — impressive, except that Finnish palindromes easily rival it, with two having 25 letters.
The longest palindromic English word, according to the Oxford English Dictionary: "tattarrattat". Coined by James Joyce in his 1922 novel Ulysses, the word is an "onomatopoeia". It has been used to describe the sound of someone knocking on a door.
The most recognizable palindromic poem: "Doppelgänger" by English poet James A. Lindon. At the poem’s midway point, each line is repeated backwards. The use of the device has literary significance: the concept of a doppelgänger involves a ghostly reflection of oneself, and the palindromic structure means that the latter half of the poem serves as a reflection of the first half.
The best palindromic place name: "Wassamassaw". "Wassamassaw" is a swamp in South Carolina
The best Finnish palindrome: "saippuakuppinippukauppias". This is the Finnish word for a "soap cup trader", one of the longest palindromes in the world
The longest palindromic novel: Lawrence Levine’s Dr. Awkward & Olson in Oslo. In 1986, Lawrence Levine published the 31,954-word Dr. Awkward & Olson in Oslo. Like Stephen’s letter, the novel is primarily gibberish.
The history-based palindrome: "Able was I ere I saw Elba." This palindrome related to French leader Napoleon Bonaparte’s exile to the island of Elba.
The best album title: "Satanoscillatemymetallicsonatas" ("Satan, oscillate my metallic sonatas"). In 1991, American rock band Soundgarden included this bonus CD with some editions of Badmotorfinger, their third studio album.
The longest letter: David Stephen’s Satire: Veritas. Published in 1980 as a monograph, the letter is 58,706 words long.
The ancient Roman palindrome: "In girum imus nocte et consumimur igni." Like the Greeks, the Romans were also fans of palindromes, and this translates to "we enter the circle after dark and are consumed by fire", which was believed to relate to how moths circled a flame.
Palindromes in Math, Science, and Music
Palindromic strands of DNA can be found in molecular biology, and mathematicians may look for palindromic numbers that have unique properties. Classical, experimental, and humorist composers have integrated musical palindromes into their work, including Joseph Haydn and Weird Al Yankovic.
Hadyn's Symphony No. 47 in G Major was nicknamed "The Palindrome" since the "Minuetto al Roverso" and the Trio are both written so that second part of each piece is the same as the first, only backwards.
A "palindrome" (from the Greek "palindromos" "running back again") is a word, verse, sentence, or integer that reads the same forward or backward. For example, "Able was I ere I saw Elba" or "333313333". Here is a little longer one by Peter Hilton (a code-breaker on the British team that cracked the German Enigma): "Doc, note. I dissent. A fast never prevents a fatness. I diet on cod".
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A "palindromic prime" is simply a prime which is a palindrome. Obviously this depends on the base in which the number is written (for example, Mersenne primes are palindromic base 2). When no radix is indicated, we assume the radix is 10.
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"Madam, I’m Adam", says Adam when he meets a woman for the first time. Not only is Adam polite, he’s also using a palindrome, a word or phrase that can be read the same way either forward or backward.
"Racecar", "radar", "stats", "eye", "Mom" — these are examples of palindromes, and if you reverse the letters, the words will stay the same. An entire phrase can be a palindrome, like this: "A man, a plan, a canal: Panama." Palindrome comes from a Greek word that means "running back again", which describes the back and forth nature of palindromes very well. Here’s a palindrome you can use at parties to impress people: "Satan, oscillate my metallic sonatas." It really works!
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SEGMENTS
Word Sentence Palindromes
December 24, 2018
A palindrome is a word or phrase with letters that read the same backwards and forwards, such as taco cat, nurses run, and a nut for a jar of tuna. Word-unit palindromes are similar, although you read them word by word. One example: “You can...
Latin Palindrome Riddle
December 24, 2018
“In girum imus nocte et consumimur igni” is a Latin palindrome doubling as a riddle. It’s variously translated as “We enter the circle at night and are consumed by fire” or “We turn in circles in the night and are...
Word Unit Palindrome
June 6, 2014
Here’s a word unit palindrome to drop at a party: Escher drawing hands drew hands drawing Escher. This is part of a complete episode.
Cold Feet at the Altar Palindrome
May 9, 2014
Word-unit palindromes are palindromes where all the words read the same back and forth, like this SymmyS winner, titled “Cold Feet at the Altar”: Say I do? What do I do? What do I say?! This is part of a complete episode.
Pills Palindrome
May 9, 2014
Another winning palindrome from the SymmyS: You swallow pills for anxious days and nights. And days, anxious for pills, swallow you. This is part of a complete episode.
Welded Palindromes Quiz
May 14, 2011
Our Quiz Guy Greg Pliska has a game called Welded Palindromes, with two-word phrases spelled the same forwards and backwards. What do you call your first appearance on TV? A tube debut. What kind of beer does a king drink? Why, a regal lager, of...
Happy Palindrome Day
January 11, 2010
Happy Palindrome Day--or, if you prefer, "011110 Day"--from your friends at "A Way with Words"! Lots to report from Language Land: First, there are a number of recent full-length episodes you may not have...
Yiddish Palindrome
September 26, 2009
A Philadelphia listener has a Yiddish twist on an old palindrome: “Unable I was ere I saw Elba, nu?” This is part of a complete episode.
Lasagna Hog
April 16, 2022
Understanding the varieties of conversational styles can mean the difference between feeling you’re understood and being insulted. “High-involvement” speakers interrupt or talk along with someone else to signal their enthusiasm...
Diamond Dust
January 17, 2022
Diamond dust, tapioca snow, and sugar icebergs — a 1955 glossary of arctic and subarctic terms describes the environment in ways that sound poetic. And a mom says her son is dating someone who’s non-binary. She supports their relationship, but...
Words that Looks Like What They Refer to
January 17, 2022
Dan from Elmira, New York, wonders if there’s such a thing as “structural” onomatopoeia, where the visual appearance or architecture of a written word suggests the meaning of the word. For example, he says, the word level is a...
The Palindromists
May 1, 2021
The new documentary The Palindromists is a delightful romp through the world of competitive palindrome construction. The movie chronicles the events leading up to the 2017 World Palindrome Championship held at the American Crossword Puzzle...
Tons of UFO Snot
May 1, 2021
The documentary The Palindromists includes a scene with author, actor, and devoted palindrome constructor Danica McKellar showing off her favorite reversible creation: Tons of UFO snot. This is part of a complete episode.
Had a Tonic, Cuppa Cappuccino, Ta-Dah!
May 1, 2021
Lori Wike is the principal bassoonist in the Utah Symphony. She also crafts clever palindromes, as is clear from the documentary The Palindromists, which features one of her favorite creations: Had a tonic, cuppa cappuccino, Ta-Dah! This is part of...
Space Cadet
December 24, 2018
We have books for language-lovers and recommendations for history buffs. • How did the word boondoggle come to denote a wasteful project? The answer involves the Boy Scouts, a baby, a craft project, and a city council meeting. • Instead of reversing...
Jump Steady
May 19, 2018
To transmit information during wartime, various industries used to encode their messages letter by letter with an elaborate system–a primitive version of today’s digital encryption. Grant breaks down some of those secret codes, and...
Ambigrams
November 20, 2015
Words that are palindromes, but are also the same upside down as well, are called ambigrams. This is part of a complete episode.
Upstairs Basement
June 6, 2014
Giving your baby an unusual moniker may seem like a great idea at the time. But what if you have second thoughts? One mother of a newborn had such bad namer’s remorse, she poured out her heart to strangers online. Speaking of mothers and...
Hang a Salami
May 9, 2014
What’s so special about the phrase Sit on a pan, Otis? It’s an example of a palindrome — a word or phrase that’s spelled the same backwards as it is forwards. This year’s contest known as the Oscars of the palindrome...
Palindromist Press SymmyS Awards
May 9, 2014
A palindrome is a word or phrase that reads the same both backwards and forwards, like the title of the book Go Hang a Salami! I’m a Lasagna Hog! The SymmyS Awards, bestowed by The Palindromist Magazine are the Oscars of the palindrome world...
Boss vs. Therapist Joke
May 9, 2014
What’s the difference between your boss and your therapist? Aili Jokela’s word-unit palindrome has the answer. This is part of a complete episode.
Who You Callin’ a Jabroni?
December 31, 2011
Yo! Who you callin’ a jabroni? And what exactly is a jabroni, anyway? Also, what do vintage school buses and hack writers have in common? Grant and Martha trace the origins of famous quotes, and a listener offers a clever new way to say...
Scrambled Scrabble and Hot Dogs
May 20, 2011
Hi! Last week, we discussed “jabronies,” “winklehawks,” “motherwit,” “purfling,” and a handy new way to say “not my problem.” We also pondered why people call their biceps...
West Word, Ho!
September 26, 2009
It’s a brand-new season of A Way with Words! Grant has big news, too: He’s used up his last Metrocard, packed up his belongings, and moved to the Left Coast. He reports on some features of California language there that are already...
I, For One, Welcome Our New Robot Overlords
July 18, 2009
Sure, there’s Grandma and Grampa, but there’s also Gammy, Bumpy, Dadoo, Gre-Gre, Kiki, Kerkel, Monga, Nee-Nee, Pots, Rah-Rah and Woo-Woo. Martha and Grant talk about the endlessly inventive names grandchildren call their grandparents...
Wordrows Quiz
March 21, 2009
Quiz Guy Greg Pliska has a puzzle called “Wordrows,” a.k.a. “Welded Palindromes.” They’re two-word palindromes, in other words. For example, what two-word palindrome means “beige bug”? This is part of a...
Does it Hurt When Someone “Aks” You a Question?
October 13, 2008
It's time again for a newsletter from A Way with Words, public radio's program about words, language, and how we use them. This past weekend we plundered the Australian National Dictionary, which is now available in full online, by sharing...
cheese curtain
January 11, 2007
cheese curtain
n.— «Wisconsin—Behind the Cheese Curtain.» —“Re: Longest Known Palindrome” by Joseph Betz Usenet: talk.bizarre Oct. 12, 1994. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
November 20, 2015
Words that are palindromes, but are also the same upside down as well, are called "ambigrams".
This is part of a complete episode.
What’s the difference between your boss and your therapist? Aili Jokela’s word-unit palindrome has the answer.
This is part of a complete episode.
May 9, 2014
Word-unit palindromes are palindromes where all the words read the same back and forth, like this SymmyS winner, titled “Cold Feet at the Altar”: Say I do? What do I do? What do I say?!
This is part of a complete episode.
May 9, 2014
What’s so special about the phrase "Sit on a pan, Otis?" It’s an example of a palindrome — a word or phrase that’s spelled the same backwards as it is forwards. This year’s contest known as the Oscars of the palindrome world inspires some clever, even poetic, surprises. Plus, tips for raising a child to be bilingual. And what was the search engine Google called BEFORE it was called Google? Also, spelunking slang, hissy fits, language vs. dialect, persons vs. people, French folds, phthalates, and “I don’t care if it harelips the governor!”
This episode first aired May 9, 2014.
May 1, 2021
Lori Wike is the principal bassoonist in the Utah Symphony. She also crafts clever palindromes, as is clear from the documentary "The Palindromists", which features one of her favorite creations: "Had a tonic, cuppa cappuccino, Ta-Dah!"
This is part of a complete episode.
May 1, 2021
The Palindromists documentary explores a mini-controversy: How do you pronounce the word palindromist? Some people put the stress on the first syllable, but other people and reference works, including the Oxford English Dictionary, stress the second syllable.
This is part of a complete episode.
December 24, 2018
“In girum imus nocte et consumimur igni” is a Latin palindrome doubling as a riddle. It’s variously translated as “We enter the circle at night and are consumed by fire” or “We turn in circles in the night and are devoured by fire.” The answer to the riddle: moths. This Latin palindrome is also the title of a film by French director Guy Debord, and is referenced in Umberto Eco’s "The Name of the Rose."
This is part of a complete episode.
May 9, 2014
Another winning palindrome from the SymmyS: "You swallow pills for anxious days and nights. And days, anxious for pills, swallow you."
This is part of a complete episode.
May 9, 2014
A "palindrome" is a word or phrase that reads the same both backwards and forwards, like the title of the book "Go Hang a Salami! I’m a Lasagna Hog!" The SymmyS Awards, bestowed by The Palindromist Magazine are the Oscars of the palindrome world. Recent winners included one called "Espresso Rescue": "Had a tonic? Cuppa cappuccino, ta-dah!"
This is part of a complete episode.
The new documentary "The Palindromists" is a delightful romp through the world of competitive palindrome construction. The movie chronicles the events leading up to the 2017 World Palindrome Championship held at the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament and hosted by New York Times crossword puzzle editor Will Shortz. Top competitors include Mark Saltveit, founder and editor of "The Palindromist Magazine", and John Agee, author of such books as "Go Hang a Salami, I’m a Lasagna Hog" (Bookshop|Amazon) and "So Many Dynamos" (Bookshop|Amazon).
This is part of a complete episode.
May 14, 2011
Our Quiz Guy Greg Pliska has a game called "Welded Palindromes", with two-word phrases spelled the same forwards and backwards. What do you call your first appearance on TV? A "tube debut". What kind of beer does a king drink? Why, a "regal lager", of course.
This is part of a complete episode.
March 21, 2009
Quiz Guy Greg Pliska has a puzzle called "Wordrows", a.k.a. "Welded Palindromes". They’re two-word palindromes, in other words. For example, what two-word palindrome means "beige bug"?
This is part of a complete episode.
December 24, 2018
A "palindrome" is a word or phrase with letters that read the same backwards and forwards, such as "taco cat", "nurses run", and "a nut for a jar of tuna". Word-unit palindromes are similar, although you read them word by word. One example: "You can cage a swallow, but you can’t swallow a cage, can you?" Another is goes "Fall leaves after leaves fall." And then there’s "Did I say you never say ‘Never say never?’ You say I did."
This is part of a complete episode.
June 6, 2014
Here’s a word unit palindrome to drop at a party: "Escher drawing hands drew hands drawing Escher."
This is part of a complete episode.
September 26, 2009
A Philadelphia listener has a Yiddish twist on an old palindrome: “Unable I was ere I saw Elba, nu?”
This is part of a complete episode.
Function: noun
: a word, phrase, or sentence (as "Step on no pets") or a number (as 1881) that reads the same backward or forward
- palindrome 2
- palindromes 1
- palindromia 1
- palindromic 3
- palindromically 1
- palindromist 1
pali-; palim-, palin- (Greek: recurrence, repetitious; back, backward, again; returning, repeating).
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"palindrome", a word, verse, or sentence that reads exactly the same backward as forward.
The best known palindrome is probably the remark Napoleon supposedly made when he was banished to the island of Elba after his removal as emperor of France: "Able was I ere I saw Elba." Of course there is also:
"Sore was I ere I saw Eros" and "Live was I ere I saw evil".
There was a special palindrome that was created for Time magazine: "Live on, Time, emit no evil."
A Latin palindrome has a sentence that not only reads backward but also has each word that reads backward: "Sator arepo tenet opera rotas." It is translated as, "Sator [a man's name] holds the handles of the plow in plowing." In addition, the first letter of each word spells the first word, Sator, the second letter of each word spells the second, arepo, and so on through the sentence, and this is also true when you do it backwards.
Other palindromes include:
- Madam, I'm Adam.
- Madam, in Eden I'm Adam!
- When Adam asked Eve who she was, she might have responded with the palindrome: "Eve, mad Adam, Eve!"
- A man, a plan, a canal, Panama! (Written by English author Leigh Mercer who is said to have written it for Ferdinand de Lesseps, the man who began construction on the Panama Canal).
- Was it a cat I saw?
- No, miss, it's Simon.
- Step on no pets.
- Draw pupil's lip upward.
- Doc, note, I dissent. A fast never prevents a fatness. I diet on cod.
- Dog as a devil deified
- Deified lived as a god.
- So patient a doctor to doctor a patient so.
- Girl, bathing on Bikini, eyeing boy, finds boy eyeing bikini on bathing-girl.
- You can cage a swallow, can't you, but you can't swallow a cage, can you?
- Bores are people that say that people are bores.
- Women understand men; few men understand women.
- The famous palindrome, "NOON" when capitalized is viewed the same backward, forward, and upside down.
- Pa's a sap.
- Ma is a nun, as I am.
- Live not on evil.
- He lived as a devil, eh?
- Won't lovers revolt now?
- Ma is as selfless as I am.
- A dog! A panic in a pagoda!
- Was it a bar or a bat I saw?
- Was it a car or a cat I saw?
- Draw putrid dirt upward.
- Do nine men interpret? Nine men, I nod.
- "Reviled did I live," said I, as evil I did deliver.
- Lew, Otto has a hot towel.
- Niagara, O roar again!
...
dromo-, drom-, -drome, -dromic, -dromical, -dromous (Greek: running, course; race, racecourse).
- acrodrome
- adromia
- aerodrome
- aerodromic
- airdrome
- anadromous
- anadromy
- antidromic
- catadromous
- diadromous
- dromedary
- dromic
- dromograph
- dromomania
- dromond
- dromophobia
- dromotropic
- dromotropism
- heterodromous
- hippodrome
- hippodromic
- homodromous
- katadromous
- lampadedromy
- loxodromic
- monodromia
- monodromic
- oceanodromous
- orthodromic
- palindrome
- palindromic
- potanadromous
- prodromal
- prodrome
- syndrome
Palindromes
- ere
- ecce
- minim
- tirrit
- murdrum
palindrome
...
- "Harass Sarah!"
- "Is Wasillah all I saw? Si!"
- "Peeks at foe Russia, is sure of task. Eep!"
- "Yo, Joe, O joy!"
...
PALINDROMES AND INTERNAL PALINDROMES
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In this well-filled website you'll find a variety of facts and figures about topics from the World!Of Numbers . Don't look for a logical order. It is an amalgamation of randomly gathered numbers, curios, puzzles, palindromes, primes, gems, your much valued contributions and more general information. For old time's sake my material, split up in manageable chuncks, is presented on a silver plate (of course I'm refering here to the background color!) just as the various menu's you are familiar with and which are always at your disposal further on. Enjoy!
Introducing Palindromes | Some Thematic Websources | Various palindromic number records | Palindromic Triangulars • The most beautiful Palindromic Triangular • Exhaustive List of Palindromic Triangulars • Subsets of Palindromic Triangulars • Details Part A from [1] to [49] • Details Part B from [50] to [99] • Details Part C from [100] to [149] | Palindromic Tetrahedrals • Details of Palindromic Tetrahedrals | Palindromic Squares • Exhaustive List of Palindromic Squares upto length 31 • List of Palindromic Squares from Length 32 • Subsets of Palindromic Squares • Details of Palindromic Squares • Extraordinary (Palindromic) Squares and Powers | Palindromic Cubes • Details of Palindromic Cubes Circular Primes | Palindromic Primes • Palprime page 1 • Palprime page 2 • Palprime page 3 • Palprime page 4 • Palprime page 5 • Assignment 2 • Assignment 3 • Palprimes where the sum over all digits is a minimum • Multiple Palprimes "Four in a row" • Smoothly Undulating Palindromic Primes - SUPP's • SUPP's - Sorted By Length • Palindromic Wing Primes - PWP's • PWP's - Sorted By Length • Plateau and Depression Primes - PDP's • PDP's - Sorted By Length > • Factorizations of 133...331 > • Factorizations of 311...113 • Palindromic Merlon Primes - PMP's • PMP's - Sorted By Length Home Primes : Repeated Factorisation of Concatenated Primefactors | Palindromic Pronic Numbers of Form n(n+1) | Palindromic Quasi Pronic Numbers of Form n(n+2) | Palindromic Quasi_Pronics n(n+X) : The Sequel | More Palindromic Products of Integer Sequences | Palindromic Products of Integers & their Reversals | Palindromic Pythagorean Triples | The Most Recent Nine Digits Page | The Fifth Nine Digits Page | The Fourth Nine Digits Page | The Third Nine Digits | Page The Second Nine Digits Page • John Abreu's Palindromic Puzzle | The First Nine Digits Page | Palindromic Products of Two Ninedigital Numbers | Palindromic Products of Two Pandigital Numbers | Palindromic Sums of Squared Consecutives • Powers of Consecutives Summing to Palindromes | Palindromic Sums of Cubed Consecutives | Palindromic Sums of Powers of Primes | Palindromic Quasi_Under_Squares of Form n+(n+1)^2 | Various Palindromic Sequences | Palindromic Pentagonals • Details of Palindromic Pentagonals | Palindromic Hexagonals • Details of Palindromic Hexagonals | Palindromic Heptagonals • Details of Palindromic Heptagonals | Palindromic Octagonals • Details of Palindromic Octagonals | Palindromic Nonagonals • Details of Palindromic Nonagonals | Palindromic Incremented Squares of Form n^2+1 | Palindromic Quasi_Over_Squares of Form n^2+(n+1) • Details of Palindromic Quasi_Over_Squares | Palindromic Quasi_Over_Squares of the form n^2+(n+x): The Sequel | Palindromic Numbers other than Base 10 | Palindromic Subsets of Concatenated Sequences | Multiple Precision JavaScript Calculator | Repunits Prime Factors | Prime Factors of the Normal Smarandache Concatenated Numbers | Prime Factors of the Reversed Smarandache Concatenated Numbers | List of the 4260 Left-Truncatable Primes | Squares containing at most three distinct digits | Finding Tridigital Squares using Quadratic Residues - Joe Crump | Numbers whose digits occur with same frequency + Classific. P2 • Classification P3 • Classification P4 • Classification P5 | Sets of three composites in SOPF pro- & retrogression | Sum of the first n 'type of numbers' is palindromic | Facts and figures about the palindromic year 2002 | Facts and figures about 2002 continued... | Some (not so recent) pictures | Varia : Iso Latin I Character Set Display | Varia : Color Names Display | Fill_In Form for Comments and Suggestions | What is new ? | Archives Whatsnew 2002 | Archives Whatsnew 2001 | Archives Whatsnew 2000 | The Prime Brier Brothers Project | List of palindromic products of two pandiagonals Border PRP's around 'Powers of ten' • Border PRP's from 0 to 4999 • Border PRP's from 5000 to 9999 • Border PRP's from 10000 to 14999 • Border PRP's from 15000 to 19999 • Border PRP's from 20000 to 34999 • Border PRP's from 35000 to 99999 Search for the first PRP megaprime of the form 10^999999 + y Output data of 10^999999 + y ( y < 500000 ) Doublechecking PRP candidates
Links to Webpages dealing with Palindromes
- •196 and Other Lychrel Numbers by Wade VanLandingham
- •Palindrome Power by Terry Trotter
- •Meaning of pal•in•drome
- •Problem of the Month (June 1999): Palindromes by Erich Friedman
- •Puzzle 7.- Palindrome - Primes: 2 questions by Carlos Rivera
- •Puzzle 14.- Pal-Primes and sum of powers by Carlos Rivera
- •Puzzle 41.- Palindromic Carnival (dedicated to Patrick De Geest) by Carlos Rivera
- •Numeric Palindrome - A Java project
- •Palindromic prime - from the Prime Glossary pages.
- •Numeric Palindromes by Jürgen Köller
- •Palindromic Primes by Ivars Peterson
- •Fascinating Palindromes by Peter Collins
- •The Palindrome Order of a Number by Susan K. Eddins
- •Palindromic Primes in Arithmetic Progression by Manfred Toplic
- •Number Theory: Palindromes
- •The Ultimate Palindrome from Madras College, St Andrews, Fife, Scotland.
- •Palindromes in ANS by Bob Forslund
- •Palindromic Prime by Eric W. Weisstein
- •Palindromic Number Conjecture by Eric W. Weisstein
- •196-Algorithm by Eric W. Weisstein
- •Palindromic Numbers - I by Dave Rusin
- •Palindromic Numbers - II by Dave Rusin
- •Palindromic Sophie Germaine Primes by Harvey Heinz
- •Palindromic Canon in 8 parts by Nicolas Slonimsky
- •On General Palindromic Numbers by Kevin Brown
- •Digit Reversal Sums Leading to Palindromes by Kevin Brown
- •Three years of computing from www.fourmilab.ch by John Walker
- •About Two Months of Computing by Tim Irvin
- •Search for the biggest numeric palindrome by Ian J. Peter
- •The Palindrome 196 Quest by Jason Allen Doucette
- •Making Numbers into Palindromic Numbers
- •How many palindromic numbers exist less than 100000
- •Palindromic Squares by The Math Forum (Ask Dr. Math)
- •Those Amazing Palindromes by Shareef Bacchus
- •Palindromic Chess by David Howe
- •Jeux Mathématiques et Logiques: Le palindrome 11 by Gilles Hainry
- •General Generating Function For Palindromic Products of Consecutive Integers by Huen Y.K. from CAHRC
- •Palindrome, Perioden und Chaoten 66 Streifzüge durch die palindromischen Gefilde by Karl Günter Kröber
- •Patterns and Palindromes by Toby Howard
- •Palindromes by Gerard Villemin - sort of a French mirrorsite
- •Positive Integer Palindromes by Eric Schmidt - QUALITY!
- •Place Value and Palindrome Riddles by RHL School
- Palindrome Power by Terry Trotter (†)
- Meaning of pal?in?drome
- Problem of the Month (June 1999): Palindromes by Erich Friedman
- Puzzle 7.- Palindrome - Primes: 2 questions by Carlos Rivera
- Puzzle 14.- Pal-Primes and sum of powers by Carlos Rivera
- Puzzle 41.- Palindromic Carnival (dedicated to Patrick De Geest) by Carlos Rivera
- Numeric Palindrome - A Java project
- Palindromic prime - from the Prime Glossary pages.
- Numeric Palindromes by Jürgen Köller
- Palindromic Primes by Ivars Peterson
- Fascinating Palindromes by Peter Collins
- The Palindrome Order of a Number by Susan K. Eddins
- Palindromic Primes in Arithmetic Progression by Manfred Toplic
- Number Theory: Palindromes
- The Ultimate Palindrome from Madras College, St Andrews, Fife, Scotland.
- Palindromes in ANS by Bob Forslund
- Palindromic Prime by Eric W. Weisstein
- Palindromic Number Conjecture by Eric W. Weisstein
- 196-Algorithm by Eric W. Weisstein
- Palindromic Numbers - I by Dave Rusin
- Palindromic Numbers - II by Dave Rusin
- Palindromic Sophie Germaine Primes by Harvey Heinz
- Palindromic Canon in 8 parts by Nicolas Slonimsky
- On General Palindromic Numbers by Kevin Brown
- Digit Reversal Sums Leading to Palindromes by Kevin Brown
- Three years of computing by John Walker
- About Two Months of Computing by Tim Irvin
- Search for the biggest numeric palindrome by Ian J. Peter
- The Palindrome 196 Quest by Jason Allen Doucette
- Making Numbers into Palindromic Numbers
- How many palindromic numbers exist less than 100000
- Palindromic Squares by The Math Forum (Ask Dr. Math)
- Those Amazing Palindromes by Shareef Bacchus
- Palindromic Chess by David Howe
- Jeux Mathématiques et Logiques: Le palindrome 11 by Gilles Hainry
- General Generating Function For Palindromic Products of Consecutive Integers by Huen Y.K. from CAHRC
- Palindrome, Perioden und Chaoten 66 Streifzüge durch die palindromischen Gefilde by Karl Günter Kröber
- Patterns and Palindromes by Toby Howard
- Palindromes by Gerard Villemin - sort of a French mirrorsite
- Positive Integer Palindromes by Eric Schmidt
- Place Value and Palindrome Riddles by RHL School
- 196 and Other Lychrel Numbers by Wade VanLandingham
- Introduction via links to palindrome sites
- Some thematic websources
- Various palindromic number records
- 3
- Palindromic triangulars
- The most beautiful palindromic triangular
- Exhaustive list of palindromic triangulars
- Subsets of palindromic triangulars
- Details Part A from [1] to [49]
- Details Part B from [50] to [99]
- Details Part C from [100] to [149]
- Palindromic tetrahedrals
- Details of palindromic tetrahedrals
- 4
- Palindromic squares
- Exhaustive list of palindromic squares up to length 31
- List of palindromic squares from length 32
- Subsets of palindromic squares
- Details of palindromic squares
- Extraordinary squares and powers (non-palindromic allowed)
- Palindromic cubes
- Details of palindromic cubes
- 5
- Palindromic pentagonals
- Details of palindromic pentagonals
- 6
- Palindromic hexagonals
- Details of palindromic hexagonals
- 7
- Palindromic heptagonals
- Details of palindromic heptagonals
- 8
- Palindromic octagonals
- Details of palindromic octagonals
- 9
- Palindromic nonagonals
- Details of palindromic nonagonals
- Centered palindromic polygonals
- Palindromic primes pages info overview
- Palindromic primes page 1
- Palindromic primes page 2
- Palindromic primes page 3
- Palindromic primes page 4
- Palindromic primes page 5
- Palindromic primes page 6
- Assignment 2
- Assignment 3
- Palprimes where the sum over all digits is a minimum
- Multiple Palprimes “Four in a row”
- Circular primes
- Smoothly Undulating Palindromic Primes - SUPP's
- SUPP's - Sorted By Length
- SUP(P) Factorization lists
- Near Smoothly Undulating Primes with 6-digit undulators
- Near Smoothly Undulating Primes with 22-digit undulators
- Palindromic Wing Primes - PWP's
- PWP's - Sorted By Length
- Palindromic Plateau and Depression Primes - PDP's
- PDP's - Sorted By Length
- Some PDP Factorization lists
- Palindromic Merlon Primes - PMP's
- PMP's - Sorted By Length
- The nine digits page 1
- The nine digits page 2
- The nine digits page 3
- The nine digits page 4
- The nine digits page 5
- The nine digits page 6
- The nine digits page 7
- John Abreu's palindrome puzzle
- Palindromic products of two ninedigital numbers
- Palindromic products of two pandigital numbers
- List of palindromes as products of two pandiagonals
- Palindromic pronic numbers of the form n(n+1)
- Palindromic quasipronic numbers of the form n(n+2)
- Palindromic quasipronics of the form n(n+X)
- Palindromic incremented squares of the form n^2+1
- Palindromic incremented squares of the form n^2+X
- Palindromic decremented squares of the form n^2–X
- Palindromic quasi_over_squares of the form n^2+(n+1)
- Details of palindromic quasi_over_squares
- Palindromic quasi_over_squares of the form n^2+(n+X)
- Palindromic quasi_under_squares of the form n+(n+1)^2
- Palindromic sums of squares of consecutive integers
- Powers of Consecutives Summing to Palindromes
- Palindromic sums of cubes of consecutive integers
- Palindromic sums of powers of consecutive primes
- Various palindromic sumpatterns
- Sum of first n 'type of numbers' is palindromic
- More palindromic products of integer sequences
- Palindromic products of integers with their reversals
- Palindromic Pythagorean triples
- Palindromic subsets of concatenated sequences
- Beyond base 10
- Palindromic numbers beyond base 10 page 1
- Palindromic numbers beyond base 10 page 2
- Palindromic numbers beyond base 10 page 3
- Palindromic numbers beyond base 10 page 4
- Factorisations
- Home primes - Repeated factorisation of concatenated prime factors
- The concatenated numbers from Sm1 up to Sm200
- The reversed concatenations from Rsm1 up to Rsm200
- The repunit prime factors from R1 up to R100
- Facts and figures about 2002 the last palindromic year
- Facts and figures about 2002 continued...
- List of the 4260 left-truncatable primes
- Squares containing at most three distinct digits
- Finding Tridigital Squares using 'Quadratic Residues'
- Numbers whose digits occur with same frequency - Cl. P2
- Classification P3
- Classification P4
- Classification P5
- Sets of 3 composites in bidirectional SOPF pro-/retrogression
- The Prime Brier Brothers Project
- Search for the first PRP megaprime of the form 10^999999+y
- Output data of 10^999999 + y (y < 500000 )
- Doublechecking PRP candidates
- An ongoing project
- Border PRP's around 'Powers of ten'
- Table in plain text from 00000 to 04999
- Table in plain text from 05000 to 09999
- Table in plain text from 10000 to 14999
- Table in plain text from 15000 to 19999
- Table in plain text from 20000 to 24999
- Table in plain text from 25000 to 29999
- Table in plain text from 30000 to 34999
- Table in plain text from 35000 to 99999
- Packed list of all PRP's of the form 10^n – d up to 30000
- Packed list of all PRP's of the form 10^n + d up to 30000
- Discontinued
- What was new in my website?
- Whatsnew? archive of 2002
- Whatsnew? archive of 2001
- Whatsnew? archive of 2000
- Some handy tools
- Multiple precision JavaScript calculator
- Iso Latin I & Unicode character set
- All the 140 colourful exotic color names
- Some loose ends
- Some old photographs of the editor of this website
- Google Search Pop Up from this very homepage
- Pop Up from 'square.htm' & Wonplate 74 - Probability
- Pop Up from Wonplate 17 about DNA
- Pop Up from Wonplate 17 - Analyse
- Pop Up from Wonplate 16 - Small Puzzle
- Pop Up from 'square.htm' on pseudo palindromes
- Worksheet - Palindromic Sums of Powers
- Worksheet - Sequence from Wonplate 197
- Worksheets from Wonplate 197
A MAN, A PLAN, A GOD'S 'NAM TABLES, NITRATE, TAR, TINSEL, BATMAN'S DOG: ANAL PANAMA
- massive palindromes
- nonpalindromic
- palindrome
- palindromes
- palindromic
- palindromical
- palindromicity
- palindromist
- palindromists
- palindromization
Palindrome Examples: Fun Forward and Backward Words
A palindrome is a word, phrase, number, or sequence of words that reads the same backward as forward. Punctuation and spaces between the words or lettering are allowed. The palindrome examples below will provide some interesting insight into this wordplay. For instance, do you know just how far back palindromes date?
Examples of Single-Word Palindromes
The longest single-word palindrome in the English language, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, is the onomatopoeic word "tattarrattat", coined in Ulysses by James Joyce (1922). It refers to a knock on the door. Other fun palindrome words include:The longest palindrome in use today is said to be the 19-letter Finnish word "saippuakivikauppias", which means soapstone vendor.
- Anna
- civic
- kayak
- level
- madam
- mom
- noon
- racecar
- radar
- redder
- refer
- repaper
- rotator
- rotor
- sagas
- solos
- stats
- tenet
- wow
Multiple Word Palindrome Phrases
Palindromes aren't limited to one-word terms. There are a few multi-word phrases that actually spell the same thing forward and backward.
Palindrome Sentence Examples
- taco cat
- my gym
- red rum, sir, is murder
- top spot
- no lemon, no melon
- never odd or even
Believe it or not, there are even some complete sentences (and even a few questions!) that are palindromes. Most, but not all, examples of sentence palindromes are quite brief.Types of Palindromes
- Don't nod.
- I did, did I?
- Step on no pets.
- Eva, can I see bees in a cave?
- Was it a cat I saw?
There are several different types of palindromes. They all have one thing in common: they all read the same whether you read them from left to right or right to left. Discover how they differ.
Character by Character Palindromes
The most common of English palindromes are those that are read character by character. This means that each character (letter) of the word matches and the word can be spelled the same forward and backward. All single-word palindromes are character by character palindromes.
Palindromes That Ignore Punctuation
Palindrome examples also exist in phrases or sentences where punctuation, capitals and spacing are ignored. Examples include:Name Palindromes
- Sit on a potato pan, Otis.
- Madam, I'm Adam.
- Able was I, ere I saw Elba.
- Advertisement
Palindromes exist in names too. For example, a past Prime Minister of Cambodia was named Lon Nol. The name of the band Abba is also a palindrome.
Word Palindromes
Word palindromes are an interesting variation of standard palindromes. They use whole words rather than letters, for example, "First ladies rule the State and state the rule: ladies first." Here, instead of each character matching, the entire sentence can be read backward and forward, one word at a time. The individual letters don't match, but the whole words do.
Magic Word Square Palindromes
Terms that can be used to create a magic word square are another type of this phenomenon. This type of palindrome word is able to reproduce itself. If a word is formed from the first letters of each word, and then from the second, the third and so on, the term can then be arranged into a word square. A word square can be read in four different ways: horizontally or vertically from either top left to bottom right or bottom right to top left.
Number Palindromes
Palindromes aren't just a word game. They are also found in numbers and are studied in recreational mathematics. In fact, a palindromic prime is a prime number that reads the same from left to right and right to left, such as 191 and 313.
Palindromes are even seen in molecular biology. Many molecular lengths between four and eight nucleotides are palindromic. They correspond to nitrogenous sequences that read the same forward as they do backward.
Date Palindromes
Palindromes are seen in dates. They occur when a particular date can be written in a numeric form such that it reads the same frontward and backward. One example is the numeric form of December 11, 2021 (12/11/21).
Musical Palindromes
Palindromes also occur in acoustics when a recorded phrase sounds the same as it does live when the recording is played backward. Palindromes can be found in musical compositions, including The Owl and the Pussy Cat by Igor Stravinsky.
History of the Palindrome
The word palindrome is derived from the Greek words palin, which means "back" or "again" and dromos, which means "direction." The actual Greek phrase alluded to the backward movement of the crab.
First Known Palindrome
This first known palindrome was in Latin; it read sator arepo tenet opera rotas. This phase means either:
It's not exactly a grammatically correct sentence, but it's still pretty fun.
- The sower Arepo holds the wheels with effort.
- The sower Arepo leads with his hand the plow.
Other Ancient Uses
Palindromes were also found in ancient Greek and in ancient Sanskrit. So, it seems that people have been having quite a lot of fun with these unique words for a long time. Palindromes date back to about A.D. 70 when they were first found as graffito (graffiti) buried in ash at the ancient city of Herculaneum.
Brain Teasers
The purpose of using palindromes in your writing, whether it's words, whole sentences or numbers, is to exercise your brain, working within tight parameters to create something interesting and entertaining. Consider them a type of brain teaser. Go ahead and have fun with palindrome words! For more oddities of the English language, check out emordnilap examples. These are words that spell out different words when read forward and backward.
Mary Gormandy White
Staff Writer
Word of the Day: "Palindrome" (noun)
Definition: A number, word, or phrase that reads the same backwards as forwards, e.g. "2002" (number), "don't nod" (letters) or "food is food" (words).
Usage: This week we celebrated a rare palindromic date (the adjective of today's word). October 2, 2001 (10 02 2001) was the first such since August 31, 1380 (08 31 1380). The next will be January 2, 2010 (01 02 2010). Of course, in Europe, where the day precedes the month in writing dates, the next palindromic date will be 01 February 2010 (01 02 2010).
Suggested Usage: There are "letter palindromes": "Senile felines"; "Dennis sinned"; "Dee saw a seed"; "Norma is as selfless as I am, Ron"; "Mr. Owl ate my metal worm". There are palindromes in foreign languages "Elu par cette crapule" "Elected by this creep" German: "Ein Ledergurt trug Redel nie" "Redel never wore a leather belt"; Latin: "Subi dura a rudibus" "Endure rough treatment from uncultured brutes." Finally, there are word palindromes, such as "All for one and one for all" (Alexandre Dumas, 'The Three Musketeers', 1844). "So patient a doctor to doctor a patient so." See yourDictionary's Fun & Games pages for more palindromes.
Etymology: From Greek "palindromos" = "running back again" from "palin" = "back", "again" + "dromos" = "race", "running". Related to "hippodromos" = "chariot road" from "hippos" = "horse" + "dromos" = "running", "race(-course)". Akin to "syndrome" from Greek "sundromos" = "running together" made up of "sun-", "syn-" = "with", "together" + "dromos".
Following many requests, Dan and Dan are proud to present: "Dan Eating Cake - The Album" - 12 tracks of Dan eating various cakes, ranging from ginger, lemon drizzle, and right through to battenburg, all recorded in stunning sterephonic sound. Now available from iTunes! Fans of Susan Boyle might enjoy it too.
Hot for Words - Where did palindrome come from?
Translators Are a Waste of Space
Veröffentlicht am 01.09.2013
Reversible text. Written and performed by Erik Skuggevik for The Norwegian Association of Literary Translators.
Produced by Iver Grimstad