Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun In biology, an organic being which exhibits atavism.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A genetic characteristic emerging after absence from several generations.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun an organism that has the characteristics of a more primitive type of that organism

Etymologies

Sorry, no etymologies found.

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word atavist.

Examples

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.