palindrome

Technically, and according to most dictionaries (here the MacMillan), a palindrome reads the same forward and backward. »Otto«, »Madam I'm Adam« and »Was it a cat I saw« are typical examples. Not to be confused with palimpsest, where the previous writing is erased or the anagram, where there is a connecting idea and reordering of letters: presbyterian --> best in prayer; veil --> evil. But a combination of the three processes is possible.