Juggernaut

Juggernaut
Juggernaut Jug"ger*naut`, n. [Skr. jagann[=a]tha lord of the world.] 1. One of the names under which Vishnu, in his incarnation as Krishna, is worshiped by the Hindus. See also {Jagannath}. [Written also {Juggernnath}, {Jaganath}, {Jagannath}, {Jaganatha}, {Jagannatha}, etc.] [1913 Webster]

Note: The principal seat of the worship of Juggernaut (Jagannath) is at P[^u]ri in Orissa. At certain times the idol is drawn from the temple by the multitude, on a high car with sixteen wheels. The idol is considered to contain the bones of Krishna and to possess a soul. The principal festivals are the Snanayatra, when the idol is bathed, and the Rathayatra, when the image is drawn upon a car adorned with obscene paintings. Formerly it was erroneously supposed that fanatical devotees threw themselves under the wheels of this car, to be crushed as a sacrifice to the god. It is now known that any death within the temple of Jagannath is considered to render the place unclean, and any spilling of blood in the presence of the idol is a pollution. As a result of this erroneous belief, however, the word {juggernaut} is now used principally in the figurative sense 2. [1913 Webster +PJC]

2. Any large, unstoppable force, power, or popular movement which defeats or destroys any person who gets in its way or attempts to stop it; as, for years the Notre Dame football team was an unstoppable juggernaut; after the early primaries, Johnson's campaign became a juggernaut, crushing all rivals. [PJC]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • juggernaut — jug‧ger‧naut [ˈdʒʌgənɔːt ǁ ərnɒːt] noun [countable] 1. a very large company: • The software juggernaut Microsoft will continue to lead the industry with its Windows operating system. 2. something large and powerful that could be harmful to… …   Financial and business terms

  • Juggernaut —    Juggernaut is an English version of the Hindustani name Jaganath. It was the eponym given to Krishna, chief Hindu deity and Lord of the World. In Hindu belief Juggernaut is the name of a great idol to the god Vishnu. During the summer worship… …   Dictionary of eponyms

  • Juggernaut — Juggernaut, s. Dschaggernat …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • juggernaut — (n.) 1630s, huge wagon bearing an image of the god Krishna, especially that at the town of Puri, drawn annually in procession in which (apocryphally) devotees allowed themselves to be crushed under its wheels in sacrifice. Altered from Jaggernaut …   Etymology dictionary

  • juggernaut — ► NOUN Brit. ▪ a large heavy vehicle, especially an articulated truck. ORIGIN from a Sanskrit word meaning «Lord of the world», in reference to an image of the Hindu god Krishna carried in procession on a heavy chariot …   English terms dictionary

  • Juggernaut — [jug′ər nôt΄] n. [altered < Hindi Jagannāth < Sans Jagannātha, lord of the world < jagat, world + nātha, lord] 1. an incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu, whose idol, it was formerly supposed, so excited his worshipers when it was hauled… …   English World dictionary

  • Juggernaut — Cette page d’homonymie répertorie les différents sujets et articles partageant un même nom. Juggernaut est la déformation du mot sanskrit Jagannâtha. En anglais, cela désigne une force implacable détruisant tout sur son passage. Le terme est… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Juggernaut — Prozessionswagen des Juggernaut (1851) Juggernaut [ˈdʒʌɡə(r)ˌnɔːt] ist ein metaphorischer Begriff aus dem Englischen. Er steht für eine unaufhaltsame Kraft, alles vernichtend was ihr im Wege steht. Der Wortursprung liegt bei den riesigen, viele… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Juggernaut A5 — Le Juggernaut A5 est un véhicule de l univers de fiction de Star Wars. Il apparaît dans le troisième opus de la série, la revanche des Sith. Sommaire 1 Caractéristiques 2 Sous le régime impérial 3 Versions …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Juggernaut — A juggernaut (audio|En us juggernaut.ogg|American pronunciation) is a term used to describe a force regarded as unstoppable, that will crush all in its path.The word is derived from the Sanskrit Jagannātha [… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”