Main | About

Created by
www.noamnet.com
 

Definitions for avatar:

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :
Avatar \Av`a*tar"\ ([a^]v`[.a]*t[add]r"), n. [Skr. avat[^a]ra descent; ava from + root t[.r] to cross, pass over.] 1. (Hindu Myth.) The descent of a deity to earth, and his incarnation as a man or an animal; -- chiefly associated with the incarnations of Vishnu. [1913 Webster] 2. An incarnation, embodiment or personification of a principle, quality, or attitude; -- used of people, mostly in a positive sense as a manifestation of a behavior or character worthy of admiration. [1913 Webster +PJC] Martha Stewart, the home-and-hearth avatar whose products are now available at Kmart stores, is making upscale design touches like 200-thread-count cotton bed sheets something that most every American can aspire to. --Leslie Kaufman (N. Y. Times, May 7, 1999). [1913 Webster]

WordNet (r) 2.0 :
avatar n 1: a new personification of a familiar idea; "the embodiment of hope"; "the incarnation of evil"; "the very avatar of cunning" [syn: embodiment, incarnation] 2: the manifestation of a Hindu deity (especially Vishnu) in human or superhuman or animal form; "the Buddha is considered an avatar of the god Vishnu"

Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 :
81 Moby Thesaurus words for "avatar": Buddha, Christophany, Jagannath, Juggernaut, Kurma, Matsya, Narsinh, Parshuram, Rama, Satanophany, Vaman, Varah, angelophany, apparition, appearance, appearing, arising, catabolism, catalysis, coming, coming into being, coming-forth, consubstantiation, disclosure, displacement, dissemination, embodiment, emergence, epiphany, evidence, evincement, exposure, expression, forthcoming, heterotopia, incarnation, indication, issuance, manifestation, materialization, materializing, metabolism, metagenesis, metamorphism, metamorphosis, metastasis, metathesis, metempsychosis, mutant, mutated form, mutation, occurrence, opening, permutation, pneumatophany, presentation, proof, publication, realization, reincarnation, revelation, rise, rising, showing, showing forth, sport, theophany, transanimation, transfiguration, transfigurement, transformation, transformism, translation, translocation, transmigration, transmogrification, transmutation, transposition, transubstantiation, unfolding, unfoldment

Virtual Entity of Relevant Acronyms (Version 1.9, June 2002) :
AVATAR Advanced Video Attribute Terminal Assembler and Recreator (BBS)

Jargon File (4.3.1, 29 Jun 2001) :
avatar n. Syn. [in Hindu mythology, the incarnation of a god] 1. Among people working on virtual reality and cyberspace interfaces, an "avatar" is an icon or representation of a user in a shared virtual reality. The term is sometimes used on MUDs. 2. [CMU, Tektronix] root, superuser. There are quite a few Unix machines on which the name of the superuser account is `avatar' rather than `root'. This quirk was originated by a CMU hacker who found the terms `root' and `superuser' unimaginative, and thought `avatar' might better impress people with the responsibility they were accepting.

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (27 SEP 03) :
avatar 1. An image representing a user in a multi-user virtual reality (or VR-like, in the case of Palace) space. 2. (CMU, Tektronix) root, superuser. There are quite a few Unix computers on which the name of the superuser account is "avatar" rather than "root". This quirk was originated by a CMU hacker who disliked the term "superuser", and was propagated through an ex-CMU hacker at Tektronix. [Jargon File] (1997-09-14)

Related Sites

Avatar
navBar_content ...

Yahoo! Avatars
Customize an avatar to share in Yahoo! Messenger. Avatars include various outfits, hair styles, accessories, and backgrounds.

Avatar (computing) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
An avatar is a computer user's representation of himself/herself or alter ego, ... The term "avatar" can also refer to the personality connected with the screen ...

dictionary.noamnet.com