Juggernaut

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈd͡ʒʌɡ.ə.nɔːt/

Definitions

1. A large, powerful force that cannot be easily stopped and tends to engulf everything
2. A massive, unstoppable entity that dominates its surroundings and crushes all opposition
3. An overwhelming force that advances relentlessly, often causing destruction in its path and leaving little untouched

Etymology: The image of an unstoppable force comes from a religious festival in eastern India. Jagannath, meaning "lord of the universe" in Sanskrit, is a title for Krishna, an avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu, and the deity is honoured at Puri in Odisha. Each year his idol rides on a huge wagon during the Rath Yatra, or chariot festival. Hundreds of devotees pull the wagon with ropes, and once it gathers momentum it becomes almost impossible to halt, so British observers in India borrowed the name in the 17th century for the procession itself. The sense then travelled from the festival to the machine. Over time the word lost its link to the deity and came to describe anything massive that rolls over whatever stands in its path. The ending was likely reshaped to look like "-naut", as in "astronaut" or "argonaut", which gave the word its modern look. The original "r" was silent in British speech, which is why the spelling with -er- reflects the Hindi-Urdu pronunciation of the vowel rather than an English sound.

Synonyms: behemoth, colossus, goliath, force, powerhouse

Antonyms: dwarf, weakling, underling, minnow, insignificance