avatar
Contents |
English [edit]
Alternative forms [edit]
Etymology [edit]
1784,[1] 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”).
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 Joseph Romero,[2] 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.[1]
Pronunciation [edit]
Noun [edit]
avatar (plural avatars)
- In Hinduism the incarnation of a deity, particularly Vishnu.
- The physical embodiment of an idea or concept; a personification.
- 1886, Robert Louis Stevenson, dedicatory letter to Kidnapped [contrasting the historical Alan Breac with his incarnation in the novel].
- And honest Alan, who was a grim fire-eater in his day, has in this new avatar no more desperate purpose than to steal some young gentleman's attention from his Ovid...
- 1886, Robert Louis Stevenson, dedicatory letter to Kidnapped [contrasting the historical Alan Breac with his incarnation in the novel].
- (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
- 1992 Neal Stephenson, Snow Crash
- The people are pieces of software called avatars. They are the audiovisual bodies that people use to communicate with each other in the Metaverse.
- 1992 Neal Stephenson, Snow Crash
Translations [edit]
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See also [edit]
Avatar on Wikimedia Commons. Wikimedia Commons
References [edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 “avatar” in Douglas Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary (2001).
- ^ Morabito, Margaret. "Enter the Online World of LucasFilm." Run Aug. 1986: 24-28
French [edit]
Etymology [edit]
From Hindustani 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”).
Pronunciation [edit]
Noun [edit]
avatar m (plural avatars)
Italian [edit]
Noun [edit]
avatar m (invariable)
- avatar (all senses)
Anagrams [edit]
Portuguese [edit]
Noun [edit]
avatar m
Serbo-Croatian [edit]
Pronunciation [edit]
- IPA: /aʋǎtaːr/
- Hyphenation: a‧va‧tar
Noun [edit]
avàtār m (Cyrillic spelling ава̀та̄р)
Declension [edit]
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | avàtār | avatari |
| genitive | avatára | avatara |
| dative | avataru | avatarima |
| accusative | avatara | avatare |
| vocative | avatare | avatari |
| locative | avataru | avatarima |
| instrumental | avatarom | avatarima |
- English terms derived from Hindi
- English terms derived from Urdu
- English terms derived from Sanskrit
- English nouns
- English countable nouns
- en:Computing
- en:Gaming
- French terms derived from Sanskrit
- French nouns
- French masculine nouns
- French countable nouns
- fr:Religion
- fr:Computing
- French terms derived from Hindi
- French terms derived from Urdu
- Italian nouns
- Portuguese nouns
- Serbo-Croatian nouns
- Serbo-Croatian masculine nouns