Humanities
Word curio icon

Word Curio

May 2, 2018

Word of the Day: Palindrome

1 CQ

Word of the Day : May 2, 2018

palindrome \PAL-un-drohm\ noun

Definition

: a word, verse, or sentence (such as "Able was I ere I saw Elba") or a number (such as 1881) that reads the same backward or forward

Did You Know?

Palindromic wordplay is nothing new. Palindromes have been around since at least the days of ancient Greece, and our name for them comes from two Greek words, palin, meaning "back" or "again," and dramein, meaning "to run." Nowadays, we can all appreciate a clever palindrome (such as "Drab as a fool, aloof as a bard" or "A man, a plan, a canal: Panama"), or even a simple one like "race car," but in the past palindromes were more than just smart wordplay. Until well into the 19th century some folks thought palindromes were actually magical, and they carved them on walls or amulets to protect people or property from harm.

Build your vocabulary! Get Word of the Day in your inbox every day.

Test Your Vocabulary



  April 2018 Words of the Day Quiz








    Which is the best synonym of traduce?




                                  return
                                  dispatch
                                  betray
                                  shift








    Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!
    TAKE THE QUIZ






    Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
    TAKE THE QUIZ

Aired May 2, 2018

All Merriam-Webster content is available at www.merriam-webster.com

  • Recommended Recommended
  • History & In Progress History
  • Browse Library
  • Most Popular Library

Get Personalized Recommendations

Let us help you figure out what to learn! By taking a short interview you’ll be able to specify your learning interests and goals, so we can recommend the perfect courses and lessons to try next.

Start Interview

You don't have any lessons in your history.
Just find something that looks interesting and start learning!

Comments
500 characters max