Avatar meaning
(hinduism) A god appearing on earth in bodily form; incarnation of a god.
noun
The incarnation of a Hindu deity, especially Vishnu, in human or animal form.
noun
Any incarnation or embodiment, as of a quality or concept in a person.
noun
An icon, graphic, or other image by which a person represents himself or herself on a communications network or in a virtual community, such as a chatroom or multiplayer game.
noun
An embodiment or manifestation, as of a quality or concept.
noun
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A temporary manifestation or aspect of a continuing entity.
Occultism in its present avatar.
noun
A graphic identity that users select to represent themselves in a chat, instant messaging (IM) or multiplayer gaming session. An avatar is generally a caricature, rather than a realistic photo, and can be anything from a simple cartoon to a bizarre fantasy figure. However, images of real objects are also used. The term is a Sanskrit word that means the incarnation of a god on earth, and this usage of the term came from the gaming and 3D chat worlds. See VRML.
The definition of an avatar is something visual used to represent non-visual concepts or ideas, or is an image that is used to represent a person in the virtual world of the Internet and computers.
An example of an avatar is an icon you use to represent you on an Internet forum.
noun
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(computing or gaming) A digital representation or handle of a person or being; often, it can take on any of various forms, as a participant chooses. i.e. 3D, animated, photo, sketch.
noun
Origin of avatar
- Sanskrit avatāraḥ descent (of a deity from heaven), avatar ava down tarati he crosses terə-2 in Indo-European roots
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
- In computing use, saw some use in 1980s videos games – 1985 online role-playing game Habitat by Lucasfilm Games (today LucasArts), by Chip Morningstar and Randy Farmer, later versions of the Ultima series (following religious use in 1985 Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar), and 1989 pen and paper role-playing game Shadowrun. Popularized by 1992 novel Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson.
From Wiktionary
- 1784, from Hindustani (Hindi-Urdu) अवतार / اوتار (avatār), from Sanskrit अवतार (ava-tāra, “descent of a deity from a heaven”), a compound of अव (ava, “off, away, down”) and the vṛddhi-stem of the root √tṝ (“to cross”).
From Wiktionary