avatar Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a new personification of a familiar idea
    incarnation; embodiment.
    • the embodiment of hope
    • the incarnation of evil
    • the very avatar of cunning
  2. noun 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

WordNet

Av`a*tar" noun
Etymology
Skr. avatâra descent; ava from + root t to cross, pass over.
Definitions
  1. (Hindoo 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. Incarnation; manifestation as an object of worship or admiration.

Webster 1913