avatar

== English == === Etymology === Borrowed from Hindustani अवतार (avtār) / 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”) (whence तरति (tarati)). First attested in c. 1784 in The Hindu Wife or The Enchanted Fruit, by William Jones. The computing sense was first attested in video games in the 1980s, such as the online roleplaying game Habitat (1985) by Lucasfilm Games (today LucasArts), later versions of the Ultima series, following religious use in Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar (1985), and the pen and paper role-playing game Shadowrun (1989). This sense was also popularized by the novel Snow Crash (1992) by Neal Stephenson. === Pronunciation === (Commonwealth) IPA(key): /ˌæv.əˈtɑː(ɹ)/, /ˈæv.ə.tɑː(ɹ)/, /-θɑː(ɹ)/ (Canada, US) IPA(key): /ˈæv.ə.tɑɹ/ (South Asia) IPA(key): /əʋ(ə)t̪ɑr/ Rhymes: -ɑː(ɹ) Hyphenation: av‧a‧tar Homophone: Avatar === Noun === avatar (plural avatars) (Hinduism) An incarnation of a deity, particularly Vishnu. Alternative form: (rare) avatara (by extension) A representation within a dimension of an entity that exists outside of that dimension. One which serves to act in place of or on behalf of the entity; a simulacrum. The embodiment of an idea or concept; an instantiation, especially an incarnation or personification. One which serves as the means through which the entity interacts with its environment; a player character or host. One which serves as the identifying token for the entity within the dimension. A graphical representation of a user or persona; used in reference to any digital environment, but especially nonmetaversal ones. Hyponyms: profile picture, pfp; user pic; (dated) picon Coordinate term: icon A character model, used virtually as an emulation of a user or their persona. Synonyms: (informal) avi; skin ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Related terms ==== ==== Descendants ==== → Japanese: アバター (abatā), アヴァター (avatā) → Macedonian: авата́р (avatár) → Russian: авата́р (avatár) → Serbo-Croatian: аватар → Ukrainian: авата́р (avatár) ==== Translations ==== === See also === Category:avatar on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons avatar on Wikiquote.Wikiquote === References === === Further reading === “avatar”, in Cambridge English Dictionary, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Cambridge University Press, 1999–present. William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “avatar”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC. “avatar”, in Collins English Dictionary, 2011–present. “avatar”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present. “avatar”, in Merriam-Webster.com Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present. “avatar, n.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, launched 2000. “avatar”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC. “avatar”, in OneLook Dictionary Search. == Catalan == === Etymology === Borrowed from English, from Sanskrit. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): (Northern, Central) [ə.βəˈtar] IPA(key): (Balearic) [ə.vəˈtar] IPA(key): (Valencia) [a.vaˈtar] IPA(key): (Northwestern) [a.βaˈtar] === Noun === avatar m (plural avatars) (religion) avatar (computer games) avatar === Anagrams === avarat, tarava == Finnish == === Etymology === From English avatar, from Sanskrit अवतार (avatāra). === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈɑʋɑtɑr/, [ˈɑ̝ʋɑ̝t̪ɑ̝r] Rhymes: -ɑʋɑtɑr Syllabification(key): a‧va‧tar Hyphenation(key): ava‧tar === Noun === avatar avatar (earthly incarnation of a deity, particularly Vishnu) (rare) avatar (physical embodiment of an idea or concept) Synonym: ruumiillistuma (rare) avatar (digital representation of a person or being) Synonyms: hahmo, virtuaalihahmo ==== Declension ==== === Further reading === “avatar”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎[4] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2 July 2023 == French == === Etymology === 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 === IPA(key): /a.va.taʁ/ Homophone: avatars Hyphenation: ava‧tar === Noun === avatar m (plural avatars) (Hinduism) avatar (computing) avatar (plural tantum) misadventures, incidents Synonyms: aléa, vicissitude, péripétie, bouleversement === Further reading === “avatar”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012 == Indonesian == === Etymology === From English avatar, from Hindustani अवतार / اوتار (avtār), from Sanskrit अवतार (avatāra, “descent of a deity from a heaven”). Doublet of avatara and awatara. === Pronunciation === (Standard Indonesian) IPA(key): /aˈvatar/ [aˈfa.t̪ar] Rhymes: -atar Syllabification: a‧va‧tar === Noun === avatar (plural avatar-avatar) (Hinduism) avatar (the incarnation of a deity, particularly Vishnu) Synonym: awatara (computing) avatar (a digital representation of a person or being) === Further reading === “avatar”, in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia [Great Dictionary of the Indonesian Language] (in Indonesian), Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016 == Italian == === Alternative forms === avatara === Etymology === Unadapted borrowing from English avatar. === Noun === avatar m (invariable) avatar (all senses) === Anagrams === tarava, varata == Portuguese == === Etymology === Borrowed from French avatar, from Sanskrit अवतार (avatāra, “descent of a deity from a heaven”). The computing sense comes from English. === Pronunciation === Hyphenation: a‧va‧tar === Noun === avatar m (plural avatares) (Hinduism) avatar (computing, video games) avatar === References === === Further reading === “avatar”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026 == Romanian == === Etymology === Borrowed from French avatar. === Noun === avatar n (plural avataruri) avatar ==== Declension ==== == Serbo-Croatian == === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /aʋǎtaːr/ Hyphenation: a‧va‧tar === Noun === avàtār m anim (Cyrillic spelling ава̀та̄р) avatar ==== Declension ==== == Spanish == === Alternative forms === avatara === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /abaˈtaɾ/ [a.β̞aˈt̪aɾ] Rhymes: -aɾ Syllabification: a‧va‧tar === Noun === avatar m (plural avatares) avatar (in the plural) vicissitudes, ups and downs Synonyms: vicisitudes, altibajos === Further reading === “avatar”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025 == Swedish == === Noun === avatar c (Hinduism) an avatar an avatar (representing a user on an internet forum, a player in a video game, or the like) ==== Declension ==== === References === “avatar”, in Svensk ordbok [Dictionary of Swedish] (in Swedish) “avatar”, in Svenska Akademiens ordlista [Wordlist of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish) “avatar”, in Svenska Akademiens ordbok [Dictionary of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)