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Atavismus

[a-ta-vis-mus]

noun

LanguageGerman (Germany)

Meaning
  1. atavism
  2. The reappearance of a trait that had disappeared generations ago in a living thing.
Examples

Der Biologe untersucht diesen Atavismus.

The biologist is studying this atavism.

Pronunciationa-ta-vis-mus

Part of speechnoun

Registerformal

Usage noteThis is a technical term primarily used in biology to describe evolutionary throwbacks.

Status: Adapted from English Wiktionary — awaiting native speaker review

This entry is adapted from English Wiktionary. A native speaker has not reviewed it yet. Native speakers can verify or correct it in the LanguageKnow app.

Source: adapted from English Wiktionary (Wiktionary contributors) via kaikki.org (Wiktextract), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.