noun

palindrome

PAL-in-drohm/ˈpælɪndrəʊm/

A sequence that reads the same backward and forward.

The word “level” is a palindrome because it reads identically backward.

Five letter tiles spell LEVEL, with one arrow above pointing right and another below pointing left to show that the same word reads in both directions.

Etymology

The pieces convey “a running back”: reading reverses direction and retraces the sequence. A palindrome preserves the same sequence on that backward journey as on the forward one.

In context

Giovanni Sirio Carmantini9:15

… strings which are palindromes and the central symbol of the palindrome is a hash …

Pumping lemma and exercises

More examples

The number 1221 is a palindrome.
Ignoring spaces, “never odd or even” is a palindrome.
Can you think of any palindromes besides “racecar”?

Forms

palindrome · palindromes

palindromic adjective — Reading the same backward and forward.