Atavism

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Atavism (verb: to atave) has many meanings, but in the furry fandom, the two most frequent meanings are:

1. Among lifestylers, atavism means when one's animal instincts partially or totally take over. This may be voluntary or involuntary; when voluntary, it is considered relaxing, but when involuntary, it is inconvenient at best, dangerous at worst.
2. In stories, atavism is generally less pleasant, and is usually considered to be a symptom of a poorly designed species. In this, atavism is closer to its medical definition; that is, a reversion toward the appearance or behaviors of ancient (and usually less-humanoid) ancestors.

[edit] See also

• Atavism at Wikipedia - centers on atavism as applies to medicine and genetics