A palindrome is a word, sentence, verse, or even number that reads the same backward or forward. It derives from Greek roots that literally mean “running back” (palin is “again, back,” and dromos, “running.”) The word appears to have been created in English based on these roots in the early 1600s. We use palindromes every day without thinking about it. Common palindromic—that’s the adjective for palindrome—words include noon, civic, racecar, level, and mom.

Source: Dictionary