The Word PALINDROME · 26 February 2022
When they were thinking up words to describe words (and phrases) that are spelled the same forward and backward, they ought to have come up with a palindrome.
Palindromes are great. Whether they are words, phrases, or even numbers or dates, they are fascinating. But I have a beef with the creators of the word. After all, shouldn’t a word that describes words (and phrases) that are spelled the same forward and backward be spelled the same forward and backward?
I understand that the word palindrome comes to us from the Greek word palindromos. Which comes from two other Greek words. Palin, which means again, and drom (which is a form of dramein), which means to run. (I just looked up “etymology of palindrome” and Oxford Languages gave me a nice chart without even needing to click a link.) Still. I think palindromes ought to be able to be described by a more creative word than palindrome. Not that I could ever come up with one of those words, but I still think somebody ought to have been able to do so.
Okay. I did come up with one (after a little searching on the internet about Greek and Latin words). ITERWRITE. Oops. That is not a palindrome. But it is close. And ITERUM is Latin for again. So iterwrite would be to write again. So maybe ITERWRETI could be the palindromic name for palindrome. It would be derived from Latin and misspelled English. I am sure it would catch on. Especially since the word just rolls off your lips. ITERWRETI.
Actually, I am sure it would not catch on. After all, many people do not care about palindromes. And many of us need to search our brains from time to time to come up with the word that means words, phrases, names, numbers, dates, times, or anything else that is the same forward and backward. Or maybe that is just me.
At any rate.
Speaking of names. Do people memorize how to say their names backward anymore? I only know my first and last name, but some people know their whole names forward and backward and sideward and upsidedownward. Which is a great conversation starter. “Hello, my name is EE-soy-yim Lee-a-kim. (That’s Michael Miyoshi phonetically backward.) What’s your name?”
At any rate. This post is bordering on the absurd now. Not that any of my posts ever really make sense to anybody except to me, but that is okay. I’m just in it for the money. Oh right. There is no money in blogging. (At least not when more than half of your readers are imaginary.)
Well, that is about it. I thought I had a clever idea when I started writing, but it ended up being the same ole drivel as it always is. I guess I am still aspiring to be a mediocre man. Just writing something because I think the world will read it. Ah well.
Still, when it comes down to it, I really do think somebody ought to come up with a word (or maybe a phrase) to describe palindromes that is actually a palindrome.
© 2022 Michael T. Miyoshi
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