Where does “avatar” come from?
avatar (Finnish) comes from English avatar, from Hindi अवतार, from Sanskrit अवतार, from Sanskrit अव, from Proto-Indo-Iranian Háwa, from Proto-Indo-European h₂ew, from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰe — Postpositional intensifying particle: indeed, at any rate, in fact.
avatar (Finnish): avatar earthly incarnation of a deity, particularly Vishnu
Definitions
- avatar earthly incarnation of a deity, particularly Vishnu
Ancestry of “avatar”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | avatar | the incarnation of a deity, particularly Vishnu;... |
| 2 | Hindi | अवतार | an incarnation; incarnation of a deity, descent... |
| 3 | Sanskrit | अवतार | avatar: descent (especially of a deity from heaven), appearance of any deity upon earth (but more particularly the incarnations of Vishnu in ten principal forms, namely Matsya, Kurma, Varaha, Narasimha, Vamana, Parashurama, Rāma, Krishna, Buddha, and Kalki) |
| 4 | Sanskrit | अव | off, away; down; this |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-Iranian | Háwa | away from, off; down |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ew | away from, off; again |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵʰe | Postpositional intensifying particle: indeed, at any rate, in fact |