Radar Is an Acronym and a Palindrome
Radar detects objects using radio waves. The word is an acronym that happens to read the same in both directions.
Radar detects the position and speed of objects by bouncing radio waves off them. The word is an acronym coined by the United States Navy in 1940 — RAdio Detection And Ranging — and the fact that it reads the same backwards was noticed and enjoyed rather than planned. It is one of very few acronyms that became a completely ordinary word, alongside *laser*, *scuba* and *sonar*. *Under the radar* now means escaping notice entirely.
- Radio detection system. *Air traffic radar.*
- Under the radar — unnoticed. *Under the radar.*
- On my radar — in my awareness. *Not on my radar.*
- Sonar — the sound equivalent. *Sonar.*
- Acronym — coined 1940. *US Navy.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | radar | Radar. |
| Compound | radar gun | A radar gun. |
| Related | sonar | Sonar. |
| Related | lidar | Lidar. |
| Coined | 1940 | US Navy. |
- The aircraft vanished from radar.Detection.
- The project slipped under the radar.Idiom.
- It reads the same backwards.Palindrome.
Acronyms that became ordinary words
- Radar — radio detection and ranging
- Laser — light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation
- Scuba — self-contained underwater breathing apparatus
- Sonar — sound navigation and ranging
- Taser — from a boys' adventure novel title, unusually
An acronym of *radio detection and ranging*, coined by the US Navy in 1940.
What does radar stand for?
Radio detection and ranging. The palindrome was a happy accident rather than a design.
What does under the radar mean?
Escaping notice, from aircraft flying low enough to avoid radar detection.