अवतार

Hindi

Etymology

Inherited from Sanskrit अवतार (avatāra).

Pronunciation

• (Delhi) IPA^(key): /əʋ.t̪ɑːɾ/, [ɐʋ.t̪äːɾ]

Noun

अवतार • (avtār) m (Urdu spelling اوتار)

1. (Hinduism) an incarnation; incarnation of a deity, descent to the world

   अवतार लेना ― avtār lenā ― to incarnate

Declension

Declension of अवतार (masc cons-stem)

	singular	plural
direct	अवतार avtār	अवतार avtār
oblique	अवतार avtār	अवतारों avtārõ
vocative	अवतार avtār	अवतारो avtāro

Descendants

• → English: avatar, avatara (rare)
  • → Japanese: アバター
• → French: avatar

Marathi

Etymology

Inherited from Sanskrit अवतार (avatāra).

Noun

अवतार • (avatār) m

1. avatar
2. descending, descent

References

• Molesworth, James Thomas (1857) “अवतार”, in A dictionary, Marathi and English, Bombay: Printed for government at the Bombay Education Society's Press

Old Gujarati

Alternative forms

• अवतारु (avatāru)

Etymology

Inherited from Sanskrit अवतार (avatāra).

Noun

अवतार • (avatāra) m

1. incarnation, rebirth, avatar

Sanskrit

FWOTD – 20 April 2024

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• অৱতাৰ (Assamese script)
• ᬅᬯᬢᬵᬭ (Balinese script)
• অবতার (Bengali script)
• 𑰀𑰪𑰝𑰯𑰨 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀅𑀯𑀢𑀸𑀭 (Brahmi script)
• အဝတာရ (Burmese script)
• અવતાર (Gujarati script)
• ਅਵਤਾਰ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌅𑌵𑌤𑌾𑌰 (Grantha script)
• ꦄꦮꦠꦴꦫ (Javanese script)
• 𑂃𑂫𑂞𑂰𑂩 (Kaithi script)
• ಅವತಾರ (Kannada script)
• អវតារ (Khmer script)
• ອວຕາຣ (Lao script)
• അവതാര (Malayalam script)
• ᠠᠸᠠᢠᠠ᠎᠊ᠠᡵᠠ (Manchu script)
• 𑘀𑘪𑘝𑘰𑘨 (Modi script)
• ᠠᠸᠠᢐᠠᢗᠷᠠ᠋ (Mongolian script)
• 𑦠𑧊𑦽𑧑𑧈 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐀𑐰𑐟𑐵𑐬 (Newa script)
• ଅଵତାର (Odia script)
• ꢂꢮꢡꢵꢬ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆃𑆮𑆠𑆳𑆫 (Sharada script)
• 𑖀𑖪𑖝𑖯𑖨 (Siddham script)
• අවතාර (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩐𑩾𑩫𑩛𑩼 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚀𑚦𑚙𑚭𑚤 (Takri script)
• அவதார (Tamil script)
• అవతార (Telugu script)
• อวตาร (Thai script)
• ཨ་ཝ་ཏཱ་ར (Tibetan script)
• 𑒁𑒫𑒞𑒰𑒩 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨀𑨭𑨙𑨊𑨫 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

Compound of अव (áva, “down”) +‎ तार (tāra, “across”).

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /ɐ́.ʋɐ.tɑː.ɾɐ/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /ɐ.ʋɐˈt̪ɑː.ɾɐ/

Noun

अवतार • (ávatāra) stem, m

1. avatar: descent (especially of a deity from heaven), appearance of any deity upon earth (but more particularly the incarnations of Vishnu in ten principal forms, namely Matsya, Kurma, Varaha, Narasimha, Vamana, Parashurama, Rāma, Krishna, Buddha, and Kalki)
   • c. 400 BCE, Mahābhārata 12
   • c. 1000, Kṣemendra, Kalāvilasā 10.10.21.yug’|âvatārāṇām†;:

     Madanaś chala|caurāṇāṃ / strī|vacanaṃ jñāti|bhedānām
     krūraś caṇḍālānāṃ / †māyāvī kali

     The God of love among sneaky thieves, / women’s words among dividers of kinsmen,
     a cruel one among chandálas, / a necromancer among those incarnated / in the age of darkness;

2. any new and unexpected appearance
   • c. 400 CE, Kālidāsa, Raghuvaṃśa 3.36
3. any distinguished person in the language of respect is called an avatāra or incarnation of a deity
4. opportunity of catching any one
5. a तीर्थ (tīrtha) or sacred place
6. translation

Declension

Masculine a-stem declension of अवतार (ávatāra)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	अवतारः ávatāraḥ	अवतारौ / अवतारा¹ ávatārau / ávatārā¹	अवताराः / अवतारासः¹ ávatārāḥ / ávatārāsaḥ¹
Vocative	अवतार ávatāra	अवतारौ / अवतारा¹ ávatārau / ávatārā¹	अवताराः / अवतारासः¹ ávatārāḥ / ávatārāsaḥ¹
Accusative	अवतारम् ávatāram	अवतारौ / अवतारा¹ ávatārau / ávatārā¹	अवतारान् ávatārān
Instrumental	अवतारेण ávatāreṇa	अवताराभ्याम् ávatārābhyām	अवतारैः / अवतारेभिः¹ ávatāraiḥ / ávatārebhiḥ¹
Dative	अवताराय ávatārāya	अवताराभ्याम् ávatārābhyām	अवतारेभ्यः ávatārebhyaḥ
Ablative	अवतारात् ávatārāt	अवताराभ्याम् ávatārābhyām	अवतारेभ्यः ávatārebhyaḥ
Genitive	अवतारस्य ávatārasya	अवतारयोः ávatārayoḥ	अवताराणाम् ávatārāṇām
Locative	अवतारे ávatāre	अवतारयोः ávatārayoḥ	अवतारेषु ávatāreṣu
Notes	¹Vedic

Descendants

• Bengali: অবতার (obotar)
• Gujarati: અવતાર (avatār)
• Hindi: अवतार (avtār)
  • → English: avatar, avatara (rare)
    • → Japanese: アバター
  • → French: avatar
• → Kannada: ಅವತಾರ (avatāra)
• → Malayalam: അവതാരം (avatāraṁ)
• Marathi: अवतार (avtār)
• → Burmese: အဝတာရ (a.wa.tara.)
• → Old Javanese: awatāra
  • → Balinese: ᬅᬯᬢᬵᬭ (awatara)
    • → Indonesian: awatara
• Punjabi: ਅਵਤਾਰ (avatār)
• → Tamil: அவதாரம் (avatāram)
• → Telugu: అవతారము (avatāramu)
• → Thai: อวตาร (à-wá-dtaan)
• Urdu: اوتار (avatār)

References

• Monier Williams (1899) “अवतार”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 0099/1.