ATAVISM


Meaning of ATAVISM in English

I. ˈad.əˌvizəm, ˈatəˌ- noun

( -s )

Etymology: French atavisme, from Latin atavus ancestor, grandfather's or grandmother's great-grandfather (perhaps from atta daddy + avus grandfather) + French -isme -ism

1. : recurrence in an organism or in any of its parts of a form typical of ancestors more remote than the parents usually due to recombination of ancestral genes

2. : an individual or character manifesting atavism : throwback , reversion

he was a magnificent atavism , a man so purely primitive — Jack London

II. noun

: recurrence of or reversion to a past style, manner, outlook, approach, or activity

architectural atavism

Webster's New International English Dictionary.      Новый международный словарь английского языка Webster.