Liberal Dictionary English Dictionary
atavism [at-uh-viz-uh m] ExamplesWord Origin noun
- 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.
Origin of atavism 1825–35; Latin atav(us) remote ancestor (at-, akin to atta familiar name for a grandfather + avus grandfather, forefather) + -ism Related formsat·a·vist, noun Examples from the Web for atavist Contemporary Examples of atavist
This article is excerpted from American Hippopotamus, a recent single from The Atavist.
Lake Bacon: The Story of The Man Who Wanted Us to Eat Mississippi Hippos
Jon Mooallem
August 10, 2014
Historical Examples of atavist
Environment cannot make a model citizen of the “born criminal,” or atavist.
Robert Blatchford
For it is not a fault, but a misfortune, to be born an atavist.
Robert Blatchford
But, if the prisoner is an atavist it is his nature to be furious and cruel.
Robert Blatchford
If the atavist is “wicked,” the shark, and the wolf, and the adder are “wicked.”
Robert Blatchford
Say the prisoner is an atavist; a man bred back to the beasts.
Robert Blatchford
British Dictionary definitions for atavist atavism 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
Derived Formsatavist, nounatavic (əˈtævɪk), adjectiveWord Origin for atavism C19: from French atavisme, from Latin atavus strictly: great-grandfather’s grandfather, probably from atta daddy + avus grandfather Word Origin and History for atavist atavism n.
1833, from French atavisme, attested by 1820s, from Latin atavus “ancestor, forefather,” from at- perhaps here meaning “beyond” + avus “grandfather,” from PIE *awo- “adult male relative other than the father” (see uncle).
atavist in Medicine atavism [ăt′ə-vĭz′əm] n.
- The appearance of characteristics that are presumed to have been present in some remote ancestor; reversion to an earlier biological type.
Related formsat′a•vist n.at′a•vis′tic adj.