Transcription
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
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- [at-uh-viz-uh m]
- /ˈæt əˌvɪz əm/
- /ˌæt.əˈvɪs.tɪk/
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
-
- [at-uh-viz-uh m]
- /ˈæt əˌvɪz əm/
Definitions of atavism word
- noun atavism the recurrence in a plant or animal of certain primitive characteristics that were present in an ancestor but have not occurred in intermediate generations 3
- noun atavism reversion to a former or more primitive type 3
- noun atavism appearance in an individual of some characteristic found in a remote ancestor but not in nearer ancestors 3
- noun atavism such a characteristic 3
- noun atavism an individual with such a characteristic 3
- noun atavism 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. 1
Information block about the term
Origin of atavism
First appearance:
before 1825 One of the 37% newest English words
1825-35; < Latin atav(us) remote ancestor (at-, akin to atta familiar name for a grandfather + avus grandfather, forefather) + -ism
Historical Comparancy
Parts of speech for Atavism
noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
atavism popularity
A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 73% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
This word is included in each student's vocabulary. Most likely there is at least one movie with this word in the title.
atavism usage trend in Literature
This diagram is provided by Google Ngram ViewerSynonyms for atavism
noun atavism
- relapse — to fall or slip back into a former state, practice, etc.: to relapse into silence.
- lapse — an accidental or temporary decline or deviation from an expected or accepted condition or state; a temporary falling or slipping from a previous standard: a lapse of justice.
- regression — the act of going back to a previous place or state; return or reversion.
- throwback — an act of throwing back.
- retrogression — the act of retrogressing; movement backward.
Antonyms for atavism
noun atavism
- progress — a movement toward a goal or to a further or higher stage: the progress of a student toward a degree.
Top questions with atavism
- what is atavism?
- what does atavism mean?
See also
Matching words
- Words starting with a
- Words starting with at
- Words starting with ata
- Words starting with atav
- Words starting with atavi
- Words starting with atavis
- Words starting with atavism