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

WordMeaning
quaffto drink (a usually alcoholic beverage) heartily or copiously
maula heavy often wooden-headed hammer used especially for driving wedges
saturnineborn under or influenced astrologically by the planet Saturn
hoaxto trick into believing or accepting as genuine something false and often preposterous
complaisantmarked by an inclination to please or oblige
badinageplayful repartee : banter
gistessence; main point; substance
forbearancea refraining from the enforcement of something (such as a debt, right, or obligation) that is due
dazeto stupefy especially by a blow : stun
dispassionatenot influenced by strong feeling