Avatars

/ˈævətɑrz/ noun

Digital representations of users in virtual environments or online platforms. Originally, an incarnation of a Hindu deity in earthly form.

From Sanskrit 'avatāra' meaning 'descent,' from 'ava' (down) and 'tarati' (he crosses). The word entered English via Hindu religious texts, then was adopted by computer culture in the 1980s for virtual representations.

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