Cancrine
Definition, Meaning & Examples
Pronunciation /ˈkæŋkɹaɪn/ · Part of speech adjective
Quick meaning: Cancrine is an adjective meaning (poetry) Palindromic; reading the same forwards or backwards.
Meaning
(poetry) Palindromic; reading the same forwards or backwards.
More Meanings
- (by extension) Of or pertaining to reading something backwards.
- (rare) Of or pertaining to crabs.
Example Sentences
[…] the prodigious variety of ſo many kinds of verſe, Leonine, Alexandrine, Acroſtic, Chronologic, Hieroglyphic, Cancrine, Croſs-formed, Labyrinthic, Pyramidal, and a thouſand other follies […]
A marble bénitier, vessel for holy water, is surrounded with what Alvarez has denominated a recurrent, or Cancrine verse, which forms the same words beginning at each end: ΝΙΨΟΝ ΑΝΟΜΗΜΑΤΑ ΜΗ ΜΟΝΑΝ ΟΨΙΝ.
Even then there must have been a touch of profanity in such cancrine exhibitions; for if repeating the Lord’s Prayer backwards has been considered in all Christian ages as part of the means to bring Satan to the side of the repeater, it may be fairly supposed that the same sort of ignoble trifling with King David would bring company little more desirable among the audience who could listen to it with some pleasure, and possibly a little apprehension.
Related Words
Related dictionary entries include palindromic, cancriform, crannied, carunculous, cyrtoceraconic, crinate.
Related Dictionary Tools
Sources & Attribution
FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0
Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.