# juggernaut

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈd͡ʒʌɡ.ə.nɔːt/ · frequency rank #29,331

## Definitions
1. A literal or metaphorical force or object regarded as unstoppable, that will crush all in its path.
2. A large, cumbersome truck or lorry, especially an articulated lorry.
3. An institution that incites destructive devotion or to which people are carelessly sacrificed.

## Etymology
Borrowed in the 17th century into British English in India, either through Hindustani جَگَنَّاتھ (jagannāth) / जगन्नाथ (jagannāth) or directly from Odia ଜଗନ୍ନାଥ (jagannātha), ultimately from Sanskrit ज॒ग॒न्ना॒थ (jagannāthá, “lord of universe”) (Jagannatha), a title for the Hindu deity Vishnu's avatar Krishna. The sense comes from witnessing the Rath Yatra (chariot parade) at Puri, Odisha, 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.

## Common misspellings (13)
`jgugernaut`, `jjuggernaut`, `jugegrnaut`, `jugernaut`, `juggenraut`, `juggeranut`, `juggernatu`, `juggernautt`, `juggernnaut`, `juggernuat`, `juggerrnaut`, `juggrenaut`, `ujggernaut`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/juggernaut