I. ˈavəˌtär, -tȧ(r, ˌ ̷ ̷ ̷ ̷ˈ ̷ ̷ noun
( -s )
Etymology: Sanskrit avatāra descent, from avatarati he descends, from ava off, down + tarati he passes across or over (akin to Latin trans across, over) — more at trans-
1. or ava·ta·ra (ˌ)əvəˈtärə, -ȧrə : the descent and incarnation of a deity in earthly form — chiefly associated in Hinduism with the incarnations of Vishnu
2.
a. : an incarnation or embodiment in human form — usually used hyperbolically in comparisons
here, one almost fancies, is an Eastern avatar of Mark Twain, telling fresh tales of Huckleberry Finn — Times Literary Supplement
b. : a remarkably complete manifestation or embodiment usually in a person, of a concept, philosophy, or tradition
[he] is not merely a conservative, but the very archetype, the avatar of conservatism, since to him conservatism is a condition of existence — New York Herald Tribune
3. : a variant phase or version of a continuing basic entity sometimes implying no more than a change in name
the privileges of the proprietary, whose current avatar was called the Company of the Indies — Bernard De Voto
II. noun
: an electronic image that represents and is manipulated by a computer user in a virtual space (as in a computer game or an on-line shopping site) and that interacts with other objects in the space