Exploring the etymology of certain words can be quite enjoyable, especially if the word in question has a quirky background or goofy application.

This week’s word showcases a bit of the latter and has been brought to my attention by Julieta Brambila, a research associate at the Florida State Collection of Arthropods in Gainesville.

A palindrome is, by definition, a clever thing. It is a word, or series of words in a phrase, that reads the same forward as backward, letter by letter, according to the Oxford English Dictionary.

Just so you can see what I mean, an example from the American Heritage Dictionary is, “A man, a plan, a canal, Panama” (spell it backward, and you’ll see). Another example, in fact, one of the first appearances in English of the word — which we’ll get to in a moment — is subi dura a rudibus, or “endure rough treatement from uncultured brutes” (also translated “Endure hardships from the rude;” note only the Latin is palindromic). A further, if simplified, example is “race car.”

The word comes to us from the Greek palindromos, meaning “running back again,” or “recurring,” from palin, meaning “again” (or “back”) and dromos, a “running” — and no, just in case you were wondering, the former has nothing to do with a certain politician from Alaska.

The first example in English referring to a palindrome comes to us from the great contemporary of Shakespeare, Benjamin Jonson (1572-1637).

Jonson. a soldier-turned-actor and gifted playwright, is known for his comedies Every Man in His Humour and Volpone, among others.

In his Underwoods, Consisting of Divers Poems, published posthumously about 1640, we find this line: “Had I ... weav’d fittie [fifty] tomes of logogriphes, or curious palindromes ...” (a “logogriph,” or “logogram,” being a symbol used to represent a word without having to say it, such as “4” for “four,” according to the American Heritage Dictionary).

Jonson was a fiery fellow who had “wit-combats” with Shakespeare and actually killed another actor in a duel; with the former, he actually maintained quite a bit of mutual respect.

In his Timber: or, Discoveries, a collection of thoughts and letters, he said the Bard could be “full of wind,” but that he “loved the man, and do honor his memory, on this side of idolatry, as much as any.”

Moving back to our word, its second-known appearance is a good example of its use, by Henry Peacham (c. 1578-1644), in his Truth of our Times, a book of reminiscences, with the line, “I caused this to be written over the porch of their free-schoole doore, subi dura a rudibus: It is palindrome” (the Latin phrase referred to at the beginning of the column).

Peacham was a writer, poet and woodcut artist of some skill, known for his treatise on drawing and watercolors, The Art of Drawing; and his work on the proper education of boys, The Complete Gentleman, according to the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.

So, now that you know what a palindrome is, go forth and create them!.

A final trio, just for fun: “Step on no pets,” “No, sir, away! A papaya war is on!” and “taco cat.” Please feel free to send me your word ideas at features@dailyuw.com, and until next time, cheerio.

Reach columnist Will Mari at features@dailyuw.com.