atavism

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atavism

atavism , the appearance in an individual of a characteristic not apparent in the preceding generation. At one time it was believed that such a phenomenon was thought to be a reversion of "throwback" to a hypothetical ancestral prototype. The term is seldom used today since science has shown that such abnormal characteristics can be explained by the inheritance of a pair of recessive genes . See Mendel .

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atavism

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology | 1996 | | Â© The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology 1996, originally published by Oxford University Press 1996. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

atavism resemblance to remote ancestors rather than parents. XIX. — F. atavisme, f. L. atavus great-grandfather's grandfather, f. avus grandfather; see -ISM.
Hence atavistic XIX.

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T. F. HOAD. "atavism." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 22 Dec. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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T. F. HOAD. "atavism." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved December 22, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-atavism.html

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atavism

A Dictionary of Nursing | 2008 | Â© A Dictionary of Nursing 2008, originally published by Oxford University Press 2008. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

atavism (at-ă-vizm) n. the phenomenon in which an individual has a character or disease known to have occurred in a remote ancestor but not in his parents.

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