Meaning of cancrine | Babel Free

Definitions

1. Of or pertaining to crabs.
   rare
2. Palindromic; reading the same forwards or backwards.
3. Of or pertaining to reading something backwards.
   broadly

Examples

“[…] 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.”

CEFR level