Recently, I learned how the old word avatar is now used in computer parlance. Wikipedia describes it as the "graphical representation of the user or the user's alter ego or character." It's also an acronym that stands for: Advanced Video Attribute Terminal Assembler and Recreator.
The word avatar is derived from a Sanskrit word meaning descent. It entered English in the nineteenth century to refer to earthly incarnations of Hindu deities like Vishnu.
Today it is also used metaphorically as the embodiment or representation of a person or idea. And, it's the title of a famous 2009 film.
That cute little avatar in the picture is actually a stain on a cafe table, left by scraped-off paint.
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