anagram

play

noun an·a·gram \ ˈa-nə-ˌgram \

Definition of anagram

1 :a word or phrase made by transposing the letters of another word or phrase

The word "secure" is an anagram of "rescue."

2 anagrams plural in form but singular in construction :a game in which words are formed by rearranging the letters of other words or by arranging letters taken (as from a stock of cards or blocks) at random

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anagrammatic

play \ˌa-nə-grə-ˈma-tik\ or less commonly anagrammatical play \-ti-kəl\ adjective

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anagrammatically

play \-ti-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

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Recent Examples of anagram from the Web

Security specialists advise creating anagrams based on song lyrics, movie quotations or sayings.

— nicole perlroth, New York Times, "Email Attack Hits Google: What to Do if You Clicked," 3 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'anagram.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of anagram

probably from Middle French anagramme, from New Latin anagrammat-, anagramma, modification of Greek anagrammatismos, from anagrammatizein to transpose letters, from ana- + grammat-, gramma letter — more at gram

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1589

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