Atavism
Pronunciation : At"a*vism
Part of Speech : n.
Etymology : [L. atavus an ancestor, fr. avus a grandfather.] (a) 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. (b)
Source : Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913