atavism: Meaning and Definition of
at•a•vism
Pronunciation: (at'u-viz"um), [key] — n.
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- 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.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.