Word journey
The word avatar
a descent of a deity in bodily form; an on-screen self
The journey
| Form | Language | Date | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| avataraṇa | Sanskrit · Hinduism | 200 BCE | the action of descending (ava "down" + tṛ "cross") |
| avatāra | Sanskrit · Hinduism | 600 CE | embodiment of a deity, especially Vishnu |
| avatar | English · Hinduism | 1784 CE | incarnation of a Hindu god (William Jones) |
| avatar | English | 1985 CE | user's figure in an online game (Habitat) |
What is certain and what is not
Neither the Vedas nor the principal Upanishads use avatara as a noun; the sense "incarnation" appears in texts after the 6th century CE. The computing sense dates from 1980s games such as Habitat (1985).