atavic,a.|əˈtævɪk| [ad. F. atavique, f. L. atav-us; see next and -ic.] Of or pertaining to a remote ancestor. 1866Huxley Preh. Rem. Caithn. 159 The brachycephaly of the Norman-French colonists of Quebec, can only come from their atavic ancestors, the Belgæ.