Ten years ago, which seems like forever, Donna wrote an article called Take That Semordnilap! I’m revisiting that topic today, with more details and examples that a decade has brought about. The word I’m covering is emordnilap. Basically, it is the same thing as a semordnilap: it is a word that, when read backwards, spells a new word; for example, we and ew.
If emordnilap looks vaguely familiar, it’s probably because it is the word palindrome spelled backward (just as semordnilap is palindromes spelled backward). As a refresher, a palindrome is a word or phrase that is spelled the same both ways (ignoring punctuation and spacing), for example:
- Mom
- Nun
- Yo! Banana boy!
- Lived on decaf, faced no devil.
There are two other terms used for emordnilaps: reverse pairs and anadromes. The word anadrome comes from Greek anádromos, "running backward.” The word palindrome comes from Greek palíndromos, "running back again.”
Now, for your viewing pleasure, some of the emordnilaps, or anadromes, I collected from different sites. See Donna’s article for even more.
- am/ma
- bard/drab
- desserts/stressed
- dog/god
- gateman/nametag
- gum/mug
- knits/stink
- lager/regal
- lever/revel
- liar/rail
- nip/pin
- no/on
- part/trap
- pupils/slip-up
- smart/trams
- snug/guns
- time/emit
- was/saw
There are also a ton of names, but here is an example of two: Leon/Noel.
Happy Thursday!
Kara Church | Technical Editor, Advisory | Knowledge Enablement
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