Word of the Day: Avatar
Avatar [ă'vətär'] is a religious term that signifies a deity that has taken an earthly form. For example, Krishna is an avatar of the god Vishnu. In popular Western culture, the word has come to have secular meanings: 1. another version of someone or something; 2. an icon representing an Internet screen identity; 3. a person who symbolizes something.
And it is with the Karen that Rambo, once roused from his weary cynicism, throws in his lot. No longer the bloody avatar of wounded American pride, he seems more inclined toward humanitarian intervention — a one-man N.G.O. with a machete. Will he show up in Darfur next? (NY Times)
A player — or resident, in Second Life parlance — navigates this space through an avatar, a digital persona whose features can be adjusted to suit almost any whim (pointy chin, neon-green irises, the thick and full head of hair I remember having for a split-second in 11th grade). (NY Times)
Maeve on June 6, 2008 
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I first came across this word in another somewhat secular usage: D&D. Many Dungeons and Dragon books and stories frequently talk about gods and their mortal avatars.
David, same here
.
I almost cringe when I hear this word being mis-used these days. My son watches a show called “The Last Avatar” and it has nothing to do with deity.
But, meanings of words change and are in flux all the time. I always did see an “avatar” as a representative of someone else.
It would be better to stick to pure and correct English. Do you remember what was used before the hindi word Avatar encroached into the English language.