atavism
Americannoun
-
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.
noun
-
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
Other Word Forms
- atavic adjective
- atavist noun
Etymology
Origin of atavism
First recorded in 1825–35; from Latin atav(us) “great-great-great grandfather; remote ancestor, forefather” ( at-, akin to atta familiar name for a grandfather, “grampa” + avus “grandfather, ancestor”) + -ism
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
His atavism came with the weekend’s most polish.
From Slate • May 30, 2023
In movies, food is rarely just food — it is a way of signaling obsession and atavism, consumption and desire.
From Los Angeles Times • May 3, 2018
The result is civilization, art, music, scientific reasoning and philosophy, which often attempt to mitigate and improve on our genetic atavism.
From New York Times • Sep. 2, 2016
Enright understands adulthood as a kind of aberration that befalls families: siblings must grow up, but their maturity is oddly irrelevant to the atavism of the family unit.
From The New Yorker • May 18, 2015
As if it came from an atavism deeper than fear, I used to add “brother” silently to boys’ names.
From "The Woman Warrior" by Maxine Hong Kingston
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
