GRE Word List
ATAVISM
recurrence in an organism of a trait or character typical of an ancestral form and usually due to genetic recombination
The meaning of the word atavism is recurrence in an organism of a trait or character typical of an ancestral form and usually due to genetic recombination.
Random words
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| forthcoming | being about to appear or to be produced or made available |
| metaphor | a figure of speech in which a word or phrase literally denoting one kind of object or idea is used in place of another to suggest a likeness or analogy between them (as in drowning in money) |
| contumacious | stubbornly disobedient : rebellious |
| bullion | gold or silver considered as so much metal |
| progenitor | an ancestor in the direct line : forefather |
| optimist | a person who is inclined to be hopeful and to expect good outcomes : someone who is given to optimism |
| puzzle | to offer or represent to (someone) a problem difficult to solve or a situation difficult to resolve : challenge mentally |
| miscellany | separate writings collected in one volume |
| glaring | having a fixed look of hostility, fierceness, or anger |
| personify | to conceive of or represent as a person or as having human qualities or powers |