juggernaut

Meaning

1. A literal or metaphorical force or object regarded as unstoppable, that will crush all in its path.
2. (British, Ireland, derogatory, sometimes) A large, cumbersome truck or lorry, especially an artic.
3. An institution that incites destructive devotion or to which people are carelessly sacrificed.

Synonyms

steamroller

large truck

large lorry

truck-trailer combination

Translations

rouleau compresseur

Götze

jamanta

mastodonte

poids lourd

autotreno

🚛

vrachtwagen

🚚

força

potência

rolo compressor

gigante

montruo

الطاغوت

tır

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈd͡ʒʌɡ.ə.nɔːt/

Etymology

Borrowed in the 17th century into British English in India, from Hindustani جگنّاتھ / जगन्नाथ (jagannāth) or Odia ଜଗନ୍ନାଥ (jagannātha), from Sanskrit जगन्नाथ (jagannātha, “Lord of the Universe”) (Jagannatha), a title for the Hindu deity Vishnu's avatar Krishna. The sense comes from witnessing the Rath Yatra (chariot parade) at Puri, Orissa, a huge annual procession which features a wagon of the idol of Jagannath; pulled with ropes by hundreds of devotees, the wagon develops considerable momentum and becomes unstoppable. The r was not originally pronounced: for non-rhotic dialects of British English, the spelling with -er- accurately suggests the Hindi pronunciation of the second vowel (a schwa); compare e.g. gorm. The spelling of the ending was influenced by the suffix -naut (“traveller, voyager”). Doublet of Jagannath.