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atavistic

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at⋅a⋅vis⋅tic

  [at-uh-vis-tik]
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–adjective
of, pertaining to, or characterized by atavism; reverting to or suggesting the characteristics of a remote ancestor or primitive type.
Origin:
1870–75; atav(ism) + -istic

Related forms:
at⋅a⋅vis⋅ti⋅cal⋅ly, adverb
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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at·a·vism   (āt'ə-vĭz'əm)   
n.  

  1. The reappearance of a characteristic in an organism after several generations of absence, usually caused by the chance recombination of genes.

  2. An individual or a part that exhibits atavism. Also called throwback.

  3. The return of a trait or recurrence of previous behavior after a period of absence.


[French atavisme, from Latin atavus, ancestor : atta, father + avus, grandfather; see awo- in Indo-European roots.]
at'a·vist n., at'a·vis'tic adj., at'a·vis'ti·cal·ly adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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