Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1800-1900
Origin: atavism 'being like ancestors' (19-21 centuries), from French atavisme, from Latin atavus 'ancestor'

atavistic

 adjective
     
at‧a‧vis‧tic formal
atavistic feelings are very basic human feelings that people have felt since humans have existed
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.
Dictionary pictures of the day
Do you know what each of these is called?
What is the word for picture 1? What is the word for picture 2? What is the word for picture 3? What is the word for picture 4?
Click on any of the pictures above to find out what it is called.

Explore our topic dictionary

Browse the dictionary