Juggernauts

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A powerful and overwhelming force or entity that crushes obstacles ; A large heavy truck or lorry used for transporting goods
2. An unstoppable and dominant power that cannot be easily defeated or stopped ; A massive vehicle designed for hauling heavy loads on roads
3. A force or organization of great strength and influence that overwhelms everything in its path ; A bulky freight vehicle typically used for commercial transport

Etymology: The word "juggernauts" is simply the plural of "juggernaut," so the story belongs to the singular. It begins with Jagannath, a Sanskrit title meaning "lord of the universe," used for Krishna, an avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu. Its best-known image came from Puri in Odisha, where an annual chariot procession carries a wagon bearing the idol of Jagannath. Hundreds of devotees pull it on ropes, and the great cart gathers such momentum that it cannot be halted. British visitors in India borrowed the name in the 17th century, and the sense of an overwhelming, irresistible force grew directly out of that witnessed spectacle. The English spelling with "-er-" reflects how the second vowel was pronounced in Hindi-Urdu, where the r was not originally sounded. The final "-naut," meaning "traveller" or "voyager," from words like "astronaut," influenced the ending's spelling, so the familiar form owes something to a word the original never contained.

Synonyms: behemoths, monsters, giants, colossi, goliaths