English
atavistic
Pronunciation
  • (British, America) IPA: /æt.əˈvɪs.tɪk/
Adjective

atavistic

  1. (biology) of the recurrence of a trait reappearing after an absence of one or more generations due to a chance recombination of genes.
    • 1889, U.S. Office of Experiment Stations, Experiment Station Record
      Although the heterozygote gives it an atavistic appearance, the gene is not atavistic.
    • 2006, Roger E Stevenson, Judith G Hall, Human malformations and related anomalies
      Reactivation of a dormant atavistic gene could account for the abnormal costocoracoid ligament in humans.
  2. of a throwback or exhibiting primitivism.
    • 2000, Steven Heller, Marshall Arisman, The education of an illustrator
      Because I am atavistic enough to believe that drawing is the basic language of the illustrator, even as words comprise the basic language of the writer…
  3. relating to earlier, more primitive behavior that returns after an absence.
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