What is "avatar"

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.

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.

   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).

1784, "descent of a Hindu deity," from Sanskrit avatarana "descent" (of a deity to the earth in incarnate form), from ava- "off, down" (from PIE *au- (2) "off, away") + base of tarati "(he) crosses over," from PIE root *tere- (2) "to cross over" (see through). In computer use, it seems to trace to the novel "Snowcrash" (1992) by Neal Stephenson.

n. 1 (context Hinduism English) the incarnation of a deity, particularly Vishnu. 2 The physical embodiment of an idea or concept; a personification. 3 (context computing or gaming English) A digital representation or handle of a person or being; often, it can take on any of various forms, as a participant chooses. i.e. 3D, animated, photo, sketch of a person or a person's alter ego, sometimes used in a virtual world or virtual chat room.

1. n. 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"

An avatar ( Sanskrit: अवतार, IAST: ) is a concept in Hinduism and it means "descent", and refers to the appearance or incarnation of a deity on earth. The term also generally refers to "alight, to make one's appearance" and sometimes used to refer to any revered guru or human being.

The word avatar does not appear in the Vedic literature, but appears in verb forms in post-Vedic literature, and as a noun particularly in the Puranic literature after the 6th century CE. The Rigveda describes Indra as endowed with a mysterious power of assuming any form at will. The Bhagavad Gita expounds the doctrine of Avatara but with terms other than avatar.

Theologically, the term is most often associated with the Hindu god Vishnu, though the idea has been applied to other deities. Varying lists of avatars of Vishnu appear in Hindu scriptures, including the ten Dashavatara of the Garuda Purana and the twenty-two avatars in the Bhagavata Purana, though the latter adds that the incarnations of Vishnu are innumerable. The avatars of Vishnu are important in Vaishnavism theology. In the goddess-based Shaktism tradition of Hinduism, avatars of the Devi in different appearances such as Tripura Sundari, Durga and Kali are commonly found. While avatars of other deities such as Ganesha and Shiva are also mentioned in medieval Hindu texts, this is minor and occasional. The incarnation doctrine is one of the important differences between Vaishnavism and Shaivism traditions of Hinduism.

Incarnation concepts similar to avatar are also found in Buddhism, Christianity and others. The scriptures of Sikhism include the names of numerous Hindu gods and goddesses, but it rejected the doctrine of savior incarnation and endorsed the view of Hindu Bhakti movement saints such as Namdev that formless eternal god is within the human heart and man is his own savior.

The Avatar is the main player character and protagonist in the Ultima series of video games by Origin Systems. The character was first introduced as "The Stranger" in the 1980 role-playing video game Ultima I: The First Age of Darkness.

Avatar is a term used in Hinduism for a material manifestation of a deity. Other common uses include:

• Avatar (computing), the graphical representation of a user

Otherwise it may refer to:

Avatar is a novel by John Passarella set in the fictional universe of the U.S. television series Angel.

Avatar is a studio album by the indie rock band Comets on Fire. It was released in 2006 on Sub Pop.

Avatar , also known as Matrix Hunter (Japan DVD title & USA video title), Avatar Exile (working title), Cyber Wars (USA DVD title) is a Singaporean science fiction film directed by Kuo Jian Hong. The film was shot in 2001 and released in 2004.

Avatar is an album by the Dutch futurepop band Angels and Agony. It was released in 2004.

Avatar (March 10, 1972 – December 3, 1992) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 1975 Belmont Stakes. He was bred and raced by San Antonio, Texas businessman Arthur A. Seeligson, Jr. and trained by Tommy Doyle.

In computing, an avatar is the graphical representation of the user or the user's alter ego or character. It may take either a three-dimensional form, as in games or virtual worlds, or a two-dimensional form as an icon in Internet forums and other online communities. Avatar images have also been referred to as "picons" (personal icons) in the past, though the usage of this term is uncommon now. It can also refer to a text construct found on early systems such as MUDs. The term "avatar" can also refer to the personality connected with the screen name, or handle, of an Internet user. Common avatars may be Internet memes.

Avatar is an early graphics-based multi-user highly interactive role-playing computer game, created on the University of Illinois' Control Data Corporation PLATO system in the late 1970s. It has graphics for navigating through a dungeon, and chat style text for player status and communication with others. It can currently be played online via Cyber1 or a simulation called Javatar. What makes Avatar popular is the high level of interactivity with other players and the sense of community that develops. Development on Avatar began on the University of Illinois PLATO system around 1977; the first version was released by Bruce Maggs, Andrew Shapira, and David Sides in 1979.

Avatar (marketed as James Cameron's Avatar) is a 2009 American epic science fiction film directed, written, produced, and co-edited by James Cameron, and starring Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana , Stephen Lang, Michelle Rodriguez, and Sigourney Weaver. The film is set in the mid-22nd century, when humans are colonizing Pandora, a lush habitable moon of a gas giant in the Alpha Centauri star system, in order to mine the mineral unobtanium, a room-temperature superconductor. The expansion of the mining colony threatens the continued existence of a local tribe of Na'vi – a humanoid species indigenous to Pandora. The film's title refers to a genetically engineered Na'vi body with the mind of a remotely located human that is used to interact with the natives of Pandora.

Development of Avatar began in 1994, when Cameron wrote an 80-page treatment for the film. Filming was supposed to take place after the completion of Cameron's 1997 film Titanic, for a planned release in 1999, but according to Cameron, the necessary technology was not yet available to achieve his vision of the film. Work on the language of the film's extraterrestrial beings began in 2005, and Cameron began developing the screenplay and fictional universe in early 2006. Avatar was officially budgeted at $237 million. Other estimates put the cost between $280 million and $310 million for production and at $150 million for promotion. The film made extensive use of new motion capture filming techniques, and was released for traditional viewing, 3D viewing (using the RealD 3D, Dolby 3D, XpanD 3D, and IMAX 3D formats), and for " 4D" experiences in select South Korean theaters. The stereoscopic filmmaking was touted as a breakthrough in cinematic technology.

Avatar premiered in London on , 2009, and was internationally released on and in the United States and Canada on , to positive critical reviews, with critics highly praising its groundbreaking visual effects. During its theatrical run, the film broke several box office records and became the highest-grossing film of all time, as well as in the United States and Canada, surpassing Titanic, which had held those records for twelve years (and was also directed by Cameron). It also became the first film to gross more than and the best-selling film of 2010 in the United States. Avatar was nominated for nine Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, and won three, for Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography and Best Visual Effects. Following the film's success, Cameron signed with 20th Century Fox to produce three sequels, making Avatar the first of a planned tetralogy. On April 14, 2016, Cameron confirmed that there are now plans for four sequels. Avatar 2 is scheduled for release in December 2018, with the sequels following in December 2020, 2022, and 2023, respectively.

"(Do You Wanna Date My) Avatar" is a 2009 song created and performed by the cast of the web series The Guild, with lead vocals by singer- actress Felicia Day. The lyrics were written by Day and the music was written by musical composer Jed Whedon, who also directed the music video.

Avatar is a metal band from Gothenburg, Sweden.

Avatar is a lost Italian silent film from 1916, directed by Carmine Gallone. In the UK it was also known as The Magician. It was produced by Società Italiana Cines.

Avatar, first published in 1856, is a Fantastique 19th century short story by French writer Théophile Gautier.

"Avatar" is the twenty-first episode of the third season of the science fiction television series The X-Files. It premiered on the Fox network in the United States on April 26, 1996. The story for the episode was developed by David Duchovny and Howard Gordon, the teleplay was written by Gordon, and it was directed by James Charleston. The episode is a "Monster-of-the-Week" story, unconnected to the series' wider mythology. "Avatar" earned a Nielsen household rating of 9.3, being watched by 14.62 million viewers in its initial broadcast. The episode received mixed reviews from television critics.

The show centers on FBI special agents Fox Mulder ( David Duchovny) and Dana Scully ( Gillian Anderson) who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called X-Files. Mulder is a believer in the paranormal, while the skeptical Scully has been assigned to debunk his work. In this episode, when Assistant Director Walter Skinner ( Mitch Pileggi) is accused of murdering a prostitute, Mulder and Scully investigate to determine the truth behind what happened.

"Avatar" was developed after Duchovny initially suggested having a Skinner-centric episode as a way to give himself a break. Skinner's popularity amongst fans had risen with his increased role in the episodes " The Blessing Way" and " Paper Clip" and these episodes helped re-establish the ground rules regarding where Skinner stood in regard to the X-Files. The episode title means the incarnation of a deity in Sanskrit.

Avatar (from "Aerobic Vehicle for Transatmospheric Hypersonic Aerospace TrAnspoRtation") is a concept study for a unmanned single-stage reusable spaceplane capable of horizontal takeoff and landing, by India's Defence Research and Development Organisation. The mission concept is for low cost military and commercial satellite space launches. No further studies or development have taken place since 2001.

This spaceplane concept is unrelated to India's RLV Technology Demonstration Programme ( RLV-TD).

Xbox Avatars are avatars and characters that represent users of the Xbox Live service on the Xbox 360 and Xbox One video game consoles, Windows 10, and Windows 10 Mobile. Avatars debuted on the Xbox 360 as part of the "New Xbox Experience" system update released on November 19, 2008.

Users are able to customize body shape, gender, facial features, hair style, clothing, and "props". They can then display a 2D picture of their Avatar on their Gamercard (although they are still free to use their previous picture should they so choose).

Xbox Live GM Ben Kilgore stated in 2008 that Avatars will only be available for games that have an E10+ rating or lower only (featuring content that is considered suitable for children under 10 years of age). This may change sometime in the future, though presumably in Microsoft's own games if it ever happens, to monitor their usage in mature games. It was announced at Game Developers Conference on March 24, 2009 that the XNA framework 3.1 would have an API to support Avatars in indie games. With the release of Windows 10 and the New Xbox One Experience, the rendering of the Avatars has been changed to offer a higher quality of rendering across different devices.

Users can edit their avatar using the Xbox Avatars application on an Xbox console, Windows 10 or Windows 10 Mobile device or by using the Microsoft Silverlight based editor on Xbox.com. Across all of these experiences, users will have access to their entire closet of items that they've purchased or have been awarded throughout the Xbox ecosystem.

Avatar is an upcoming Bollywood drama comedy film directed by Pahlaj Nihalani. It features Govinda and Shatrughan Sinha in the lead roles, along with Yashpal Sharma in a supporting role. The film also features Sunny Deol, who makes a special appearance. The film has been postponed and a release date is currently unknown.

Avatar is the third album released by Swedish metal band Avatar, on November 20, 2009. It is the last album to feature the guitarist Simon Andersson before he left the band in December 2011.

Avatar was an American underground newspaper published in Boston, Massachusetts in 1967-68. The newspaper's first issues were published from the headquarters of Broadside magazine in Cambridge. The paper was initially started by a varied group of people from different parts of the Boston countercultural scene, but quickly came to be dominated by the Fort Hill Community led by Mel Lyman, a very charismatic banjo and harmonica playing folk musician who had, over some years in Boston and Cambridge, become the center of a group called, simply, The Lyman Family. During its brief existence Avatar was considered one of the best underground papers in the country, largely for its excellent content, layout, printing and design. Toward the end of its run 6 issues (nos. 18-23) were published in large size broadsheet newspaper format, with a tabloid size magazine insert.

Owing to their work ethic and dependability, The Lyman Family (aka The Fort Hill Community) and many sympathetic to its ethos became the core of the production, distribution and content of the paper. Over time disputes between the Fort Hill Community and other factions involved in putting out the paper led to an irreconcilable split which ended that cycle of the paper.

A total of 24 issues were printed bi-weekly from June 9, 1967, through April 26, 1968. A "25th issue" dated May 9, 1968 was haphazardly assembled and printed by opposition factions, but all but 1000 copies of the 45,000 copy press run were sequestered and disposed of.

There were three brief-lived spinoffs including a New York City edition based on the Boston version called New York Avatar, edited by Brian Keating out of a Soho loft and featuring contributions by Paul Williams and Peter Stafford of Crawdaddy magazine and underground cartoonist The Mad Peck. New York Avatar published 7 issues, with a print run of 7500 copies, between March 29 and August 1968. A reorganized Boston Avatar (also known as Avatar Vol. II), edited by Dave Wilson of Broadside magazine and produced by the opposition faction, published 6 issues between July and August 1968. A beautifully printed tabloid magazine version called American Avatar ran for four issues under the direction of The Fort Hill Community from October 1968 to Summer 1969.

A.V.A.T.A.R. MUD is a free, online, massively multiplayer, fantasy, text-based role-playing game (or MUD), set in a real-time virtual environment. It combines elements of role-playing games, hack and slash style computer games, adventure games and social gaming.

It began as an LPMUD called Farside MUD at Newcastle University, in the summer of 1991, before ultimately relocating to the United States of America. It suffered catastrophic loss of data in August 1994, which led to a switch to the Merc code base. On 8 August 1995, its name was changed to A.V.A.T.A.R. MUD.

Over two decades, the game's environment has grown into a fictional world spanning 327 areas across 20 planes, comprising 20,000 unique rooms with gameplay and features that significantly deviate from the original Merc codebase.