अवतार

Hindi

Etymology

Borrowed 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 Old Marathi 𑘀𑘪𑘝𑘰𑘨 (avatāra), from Sanskrit अवतार (avatāra).

Noun

अवतार • (avatār) m

1. (Hinduism) avatar; incarnation of a deity, descent to the world
2. descending, descent

Declension

Declension of अवतार (masc cons-stem)
direct singular	अवतार avtār
direct plural	अवतार avtār
	singular एकवचन		plural अनेकवचन
nominative प्रथमा	अवतार avtār		अवतार avtār
oblique सामान्यरूप	अवतारा avtārā		अवतारां- avtārān-
acc. / dative द्वितीया / चतुर्थी	अवताराला avtārālā		अवतारांना avtārānnā
ergative	अवताराने, अवतारानं avtārāne, avtārāna		अवतारांनी avtārānnī
instrumental	अवताराशी avtārāśī		अवतारांशी avtārānśī
locative सप्तमी	अवतारात avtārāt		अवतारांत avtārāt
vocative संबोधन	अवतारा avtārā		अवतारांनो avtārānno
Oblique Note: The oblique case precedes all postpositions. There is no space between the stem and the postposition. Locative Note: -त (-ta) is a postposition.

Genitive declension of अवतार (masc cons-stem)
	masculine object पुल्लिंगी कर्म		feminine object स्त्रीलिंगी कर्म		neuter object नपुसकलिंगी कर्म		oblique सामान्यरूप
	singular एकवचन	plural अनेकवचन	singular एकवचन	plural अनेकवचन	singular* एकवचन	plural अनेकवचन
singular subject एकवचनी कर्ता	अवताराचा avtārāċā	अवताराचे avtārāċe	अवताराची avtārācī	अवताराच्या avtārācā	अवताराचे, अवताराचं avtārāċe, avtārāċa	अवताराची avtārācī	अवताराच्या avtārācā
plural subject अनेकवचनी कर्ता	अवतारांचा avtārānċā	अवतारांचे avtārānċe	अवतारांची avtārāñcī	अवतारांच्या avtārāncā	अवतारांचे, अवतारांचं avtārānċe, avtārānċa	अवतारांची avtārāñcī	अवतारांच्या avtārāñcā
* Note: Word-final ए (e) in neuter words is alternatively written with the anusvara and pronounced as अ (a). Oblique Note: For most postpostions, the oblique genitive can be optionally inserted between the stem and the postposition.

References

• Molesworth, James Thomas (1857) “अवतार”, in A dictionary, Marathi and English, Bombay: Printed for government at the Bombay Education Society's Press
• Shankar Gopal Tulpule, Anne Feldhaus (1999) “अवतार”, in A Dictionary of Old Marathi, Mumbai: Popular Prakashan

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.ʋɐ.t̪ɑː.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

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	अवतारः (ávatāraḥ)	अवतारौ (ávatārau) अवतारा¹ (ávatārā¹)	अवताराः (ávatārāḥ) अवतारासः¹ (ávatārāsaḥ¹)
accusative	अवतारम् (ávatāram)	अवतारौ (ávatārau) अवतारा¹ (ávatārā¹)	अवतारान् (ávatārān)
instrumental	अवतारेण (ávatāreṇa)	अवताराभ्याम् (ávatārābhyām)	अवतारैः (ávatāraiḥ) अवतारेभिः¹ (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)
vocative	अवतार (ávatāra)	अवतारौ (ávatārau) अवतारा¹ (ávatārā¹)	अवताराः (ávatārāḥ) अवतारासः¹ (ávatārāsaḥ¹)

• ¹Vedic

Descendants

• → Bengali: অবতার (obotar)
• → Burmese: အဝတာရ (a.wa.tara.)
• → Gujarati: અવતાર (avatār)
• → Hindi: अवतार (avtār)
  • → English: avatar, avatara (rare)
    • → Japanese: アバター
  • → French: avatar
• → Kannada: ಅವತಾರ (avatāra)
• → Malayalam: അവതാരം (avatāraṁ)
• → Old Javanese: awatāra
  • → Balinese: ᬅᬯᬢᬵᬭ (awatara)
    • → Indonesian: awatara
• → Old Marathi: 𑘀𑘪𑘝𑘰𑘨 (avatāra)
  • Marathi: अवतार (avtār)
• 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.