different between avatar vs atavist

English

Alternative forms

• avatara (rare)
• Avator (obsolete)

Etymology

Attested 1784, borrowed from Hindustani ????? / ?????? (avt?r), from Sanskrit ????? (avat?ra, “descent of a deity from a heaven”), a compound of ?? (ava, “off, away, down”) and the v?ddhi-stem of the root ??? (?t?, “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, 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.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?æv.??t??/, /?æv.?.t??/
• (US) IPA^(key): /?æv.?.t??/
• Hyphenation: av?a?tar
• Rhymes: -??(?)

Noun

avatar (plural avatars)

1. (Hinduism) the incarnation of a deity, particularly Vishnu.
2. The physical embodiment of an idea or concept; a personification.
3. (computing or video games) 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.

   Hyponyms: profile picture, user pic

Translations

See also

• Avatar on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons

References

Catalan

Etymology

From English, from Sanskrit.

Pronunciation

• (Balearic) IPA^(key): /?.v??ta/
• (Central) IPA^(key): /?.b??ta/
• (Valencian) IPA^(key): /a.va?ta?/

Noun

avatar m (plural avatars)

1. (computer games) avatar

Anagrams

• avarat, tarava

French

Etymology

From Hindustani ????? / ?????? (avt?r), from Sanskrit ????? (avat?ra, “descent of a deity from a heaven”), a compound of ?? (ava, “off, away, down”) and the v?ddhi-stem of the root ???? (?t?, “to cross”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a.va.ta?/
• Homophone: avatars
• Hyphenation: a?va?tar

Noun

avatar m (plural avatars)

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

Further reading

• “avatar” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Indonesian

Etymology

Borrowed from English avatar, from Hindustani ????? / ?????? (avt?r), from Sanskrit ????? (avat?ra, “descent of a deity from a heaven”), a compound of ?? (ava, “off, away, down”) and the v?ddhi-stem of the root ???? (?t?, “to cross”). Doublet of awatara.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /avatar/
• Hyphenation: ava?tar

Noun

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

• “avatar” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia (KBBI) Daring, Jakarta: Badan Pengembangan dan Pembinaan Bahasa, Kementerian Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan Republik Indonesia, 2016.

Italian

Noun

avatar m (invariable)

1. avatar (all senses)

Anagrams

• tarava, varata

Portuguese

Noun

avatar m (plural avatares)

1. avatar

Romanian

Etymology

From French avatar.

Noun

avatar n (plural avataruri)

1. avatar

Declension

Serbo-Croatian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a??ta?r/
• Hyphenation: a?va?tar

Noun

avàt?r m (Cyrillic spelling ????????)

1. avatar

Declension

Spanish

Alternative forms

• avatara

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /aba?ta?/, [a.??a?t?a?]

Noun

avatar m (plural avatares)

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

Further reading

• “avatar” in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014.

English

Noun

atavist (plural atavists)

1. A genetic characteristic emerging after absence from several generations.
2. A person of atavistic beliefs or habits.

Derived terms

• atavistic
• atavistical

See also

• avatar