avatar

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See also: Avatar

English[edit]

English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

Alternative forms[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Attested 1784,[1] borrowed from Hindustani अवतार / اوتار(avtār), from Sanskrit अवतार (avatāra, descent of a deity from a heaven), a compound of अव (ava, off, away, down) and the vṛddhi-stem of the root √तॄ (√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 Randy Farmer,[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 the 1992 novel Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson.[1]

Pronunciation[edit]

  • (UK) IPA(key): /ˌæv.əˈtɑː/, /ˈæv.ə.tɑː/
  • (US) IPA(key): /ˈæv.ə.tɑɹ/
  • (file)
  • (file)
  • Hyphenation: av‧a‧tar
  • Rhymes: -ɑː(ɹ)

Noun[edit]

avatar (plural avatars)

  1. (Hinduism) An incarnation of a deity, particularly Vishnu.
  2. The embodiment of an idea or concept; an instantiation, especially a personification or incarnation.
  3. (computing, video games, metaverse) A complex and dynamic digital representation of a person or being in the form of a digital model, used online as a simulation or emulation of a person, or as a person's online alter ego, in a virtual world, virtual chat room, or metaverse.
    • 1992, Neal Stephenson, Snow Crash, New York: Bantam Books, →ISBN, pages 35–36:
      The people are pieces of software called avatars. They are the audiovisual bodies that people use to communicate with each other in the Metaverse.
    • 2008, BioWare, Mass Effect (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →ISBN, →OCLC, PC, scene: Computers: Virtual Intelligence (VI) Codex entry:
      A virtual intelligence is an advanced form of user interface software. VIs use a variety of methods to simulate natural conversation, including an audio interface and an avatar personality to interact with.
    • 2013 November 27, Roger Cohen, “The past in our future”, in The New York Times[1]:
      Devices now track and record our every move and, whether we like it or not, each one of us will bequeath to posterity a virtual avatar, a digital being whose calls, messages, transactions, loves and losses will live on in a vast, unregulated cyberspace. The afterlife has arrived, at least for our cyberbeings.
  4. (computing, video games) A simple and static or nearly static digital representation of a person or being in the form of a small digital object, used online as a simulacrum or token of a person or that person's online alter ego, in any digital environment but especially in non-virtual, non-metaversal ones.
    Hyponyms: profile picture, user pic
    Coordinate term: icon

Derived terms[edit]

Descendants[edit]

  • Japanese: アバター

Translations[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Douglas Harper (2001–2023), “avatar”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
  2. ^ Morabito, Margaret. "Enter the Online World of LucasFilm." Run Aug. 1986: 24-28

Catalan[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From English, from Sanskrit.

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

avatar m (plural avatars)

  1. (computer games) avatar

Anagrams[edit]

Finnish[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From English avatar, from Sanskrit अवतार (avatāra).

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

avatar

  1. avatar (earthly incarnation of a deity, particularly Vishnu)
  2. (rare) avatar (physical embodiment of an idea or concept)
    Synonym: ruumiillistuma
  3. (rare) avatar (digital representation of a person or being)
    Synonyms: hahmo, virtuaalihahmo

Declension[edit]

Inflection of avatar (Kotus type 5/risti, no gradation)
nominative avatar avatarit
genitive avatarin avatarien
partitive avataria avatareja
illative avatariin avatareihin
singular plural
nominative avatar avatarit
accusative nom. avatar avatarit
gen. avatarin
genitive avatarin avatarien
partitive avataria avatareja
inessive avatarissa avatareissa
elative avatarista avatareista
illative avatariin avatareihin
adessive avatarilla avatareilla
ablative avatarilta avatareilta
allative avatarille avatareille
essive avatarina avatareina
translative avatariksi avatareiksi
instructive avatarein
abessive avataritta avatareitta
comitative avatareineen
Possessive forms of avatar (type risti)
possessor singular plural
1st person avatarini avatarimme
2nd person avatarisi avatarinne
3rd person avatarinsa

French[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Hindustani अवतार / اوتار(avtār), from Sanskrit अवतार (avatāra, descent of a deity from a heaven), a compound of अव (ava, off, away, down) and the vṛddhi-stem of the root तरति (√tṝ, to cross).

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

avatar m (plural avatars)

  1. (Hinduism) avatar
  2. (computing) avatar

Further reading[edit]

Indonesian[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from English avatar, from Hindustani अवतार / اوتار(avtār), from Sanskrit अवतार (avatāra, descent of a deity from a heaven), a compound of अव (ava, off, away, down) and the vṛddhi-stem of the root तरति (√tṝ, to cross). Doublet of awatara.

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): /avatar/
  • Hyphenation: ava‧tar

Noun[edit]

avatar

  1. avatar,
    1. (Hinduism) the incarnation of a deity, particularly Vishnu.
      Synonym: awatara
    2. (computing) a digital representation of a person or being; often, it can take on any of various forms, as a participant chooses. e.g. 3D, animated, photo, sketch of a person or a person's alter ego, sometimes used in a virtual world or virtual chat room.

Further reading[edit]

Italian[edit]

Italian Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia it

Etymology[edit]

Unadapted borrowing from English avatar.

Noun[edit]

avatar m (invariable)

  1. avatar (all senses)

Anagrams[edit]

Portuguese[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

 

Noun[edit]

avatar m (plural avatares)

  1. avatar

Romanian[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From French avatar.

Noun[edit]

avatar n (plural avataruri)

  1. avatar

Declension[edit]

Serbo-Croatian[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): /aʋǎtaːr/
  • Hyphenation: a‧va‧tar

Noun[edit]

avàtār m (Cyrillic spelling ава̀та̄р)

  1. avatar

Declension[edit]

Spanish[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): /abaˈtaɾ/ [a.β̞aˈt̪aɾ]
  • Rhymes: -aɾ
  • Syllabification: a‧va‧tar

Noun[edit]

avatar m (plural avatares)

  1. avatar
  2. (in the plural) vicissitudes, ups and downs

Further reading[edit]