Where does “awatāra” come from?
awatāra (Old Javanese) comes 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.
awatāra (Old Javanese): embodiment, incarnation
Definitions
- embodiment, incarnation
Ancestry of “awatāra”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 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) |
| 2 | Sanskrit | अव | off, away; down; this |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-Iranian | Háwa | away from, off; down |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ew | away from, off; again |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵʰe | Postpositional intensifying particle: indeed, at any rate, in fact |