ATAVISTIC


Meaning of ATAVISTIC in English

/ ˌætəˈvɪstɪk; NAmE / adjective

( formal ) related to the attitudes and behaviour of the first humans :

an atavistic urge / instinct / fear

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WORD ORIGIN

late 19th cent.: based on Latin atavus forefather + the adjectival suffix -istic .

Oxford Advanced Learner's English Dictionary.      Оксфордский английский словарь для изучающик язык на продвинутом уровне.