semordnilap
|se-mord-ni-lap|
🇺🇸
/ˌsɛmɔrdˈnɪlæp/
🇬🇧
/ˌsɛmɔːdˈnɪlæp/
a word that becomes another word when reversed
Etymology
'semordnilap' originates from English, specifically by reversing the English word 'palindromes' to form a playful coined term.
'semordnilap' was created as the reversed spelling of 'palindromes' and adopted in recreational linguistics and wordplay communities as a jocular term meaning a word that becomes another word when reversed.
Initially coined to denote the reversed form of 'palindromes' itself, it has come to mean any word or phrase that forms a different valid word or phrase when reversed; the core meaning has remained stable.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a word or phrase that forms a different word or phrase when its letters are reversed (i.e., the reverse of one word yields another valid word).
desserts and stressed are semordnilaps.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/09/12 20:55