Atavistic
Definition, Meaning & Examples
Pronunciation /æt.əˈvɪs.tɪk/ · Part of speech adjective
Quick meaning: Atavistic is an adjective meaning (biology) Of the recurrence of a trait reappearing after an absence of one or more generations due to a chance recombination of genes.
Meaning
(biology) Of the recurrence of a trait reappearing after an absence of one or more generations due to a chance recombination of genes.
More Meanings
- Of a throwback or exhibiting primitivism.
- Relating to earlier, more primitive behavior that returns after an absence.
Example Sentences
Although the heterozygote gives it an atavistic appearance, the gene is not atavistic.
Reactivation of a dormant atavistic gene could account for the abnormal costocoracoid ligament in humans.
They made me feel that I was alive in the nineteenth century, a sort of atavistic remnant, a romantic shred […]
Thus the gene which produced atavistic digits in the vigorous heterozygous pentadactyl condition is a lethal monster in the homozygous condition.
Synonyms for atavistic
Depending on context, synonyms include regressive, throwback.
Related Words
Related dictionary entries include throwback, regressive, ancestral, throwbacks, secondary, homeochronous.
Related Dictionary Tools
Sources & Attribution
FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0
Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.