atavism
Noun
Meaning
The recurrence, or a tendency to a recurrence, of the original type of a species in the progeny of its varieties; resemblance to remote rather than to near ancestors; reversion to the original form.
The recurrence of any peculiarity or disease of an ancestor in a subsequent generation, after an intermission for a generation or two.
Source: Webster's dictionarySynonyms
Antonyms
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Examples
Perhaps some deep-rooted atavism urges the wanderer back to lands which his ancestors left in the dim beginnings of history.
He handled the lure and power of atavism satirically in Pact, critically in The Queen of Air and Darkness and The Night Face, and tragically in Goat Song.
Occasionally, the genes that code for longer extremities cause a modern cetacean to develop miniature legs (known as atavism ).
Sometimes, an isolated pocket of humanity falls into decadence and atavism of its own accord (e.