Incarnator

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A being or entity that embodies or represents a particular idea, concept, or quality in physical form
2. An individual or figure that translates abstract or spiritual attributes into tangible, visible existence
3. A person or force responsible for giving physical shape or manifestation to an idea or essence in reality

Etymology: The root is the Latin "caro", meaning flesh, which also gives English "carnal" and "carnivore". Late Latin built "incarnare" from "in-" and "caro" to mean "to make flesh." The verb took on a specific theological sense: describing the Son of God taking on a human body. English adopted it as "incarnate" and later added the agent suffix "-or", which marks a person or thing that performs an action, as in "creator" or "narrator." An incarnator is therefore one that puts an abstract quality into flesh. The noun follows the logic of the verb: where "incarnate" can describe a figure who is the embodiment of a virtue or vice, the noun names the one doing the embodying. Its parts are transparent, so its meaning can be worked out from the components even without prior exposure to it.

Synonyms: embodier, personifier, manifestation, incarnation