anagram

[ an-uh-gram ]
/ ˈæn əˌgræm /

noun

a word, phrase, or sentence formed from another by rearranging its letters: “Angel” is an anagram of “glean.”
anagrams, (used with a singular verb) a game in which the players build words by transposing and, often, adding letters.

verb (used with object), an·a·grammed, an·a·gram·ming.

to form (the letters of a text) into a secret message by rearranging them.
to rearrange (the letters of a text) so as to discover a secret message.

Origin of anagram

1580–90; probably < Middle French anagramme < New Latin anagramma. See ana-, -gram1

OTHER WORDS FROM anagram

an·a·gram·mat·ic [an-uh-gruh-mat-ik] /ˌæn ə grəˈmæt ɪk/, an·a·gram·mat·i·cal, adjective an·a·gram·mat·i·cal·ly, adverb

Example sentences from the Web for anagram

British Dictionary definitions for anagram

anagram
/ (ˈænəˌɡræm) /

noun

a word or phrase the letters of which can be rearranged into another word or phrase

Derived forms of anagram

anagrammatic (ˌænəɡrəˈmætɪk) or anagrammatical, adjective anagrammatically, adverb

Word Origin for anagram

C16: from New Latin anagramma, shortened from Greek anagrammatismos, from anagrammatizein to transpose letters, from ana- + gramma a letter