atavism
Biology.
the reappearance in an individual of characteristics of some remote ancestor that have been absent in intervening generations.
an individual embodying such a reversion.
reversion to an earlier type; throwback.
Origin of atavism
1Other words from atavism
- at·a·vist, noun
Words Nearby atavism
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use atavism in a sentence
No democratic state can tolerate this kind of self-segregation and religious atavism funded at public expense.
"atavism can hardly explain a roaming animal with teeth and claws and sanguinary instincts," interrupted Maloney with impatience.
Three More John Silence Stories | Algernon Blackwoodatavism, perhaps, the content to be just man again, following mans instinct to survive among the fittest.
The Wasted Generation | Owen JohnsonPerforce, because he was born in our horde he stayed with us; but in actuality he was an atavism and his place was elsewhere.
Before Adam | Jack LondonThe instinct of love is, I suppose, so fiercely primitive in us that under its tyranny we are subjected to some moral atavism.
The Wasted Generation | Owen Johnson
Besides, I've got a lake up there in which we can indulge in a little atavism to the fish stage of evolution.
Islands of Space | John W Campbell
British Dictionary definitions for atavism
/ (ˈætəˌvɪzəm) /
the recurrence in a plant or animal of certain primitive characteristics that were present in an ancestor but have not occurred in intermediate generations
reversion to a former or more primitive type
Origin of atavism
1Derived forms of atavism
- atavist, noun
- atavic (əˈtævɪk), adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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