juggernaut English · revision 173

5 Oct 2026, 22:11 by bogdan “Add pronunciation, sense history, timeline, meanings, word family, related words” current version
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+ ==Pronunciation==
+ * IPA: /ˈd͡ʒʌɡ.ɚ.nɑt/; /ˈd͡ʒʌɡ.ə.nɔːt/ ''(UK)''; /ˈd͡ʒʌɡ.ɚ.nɔt/ ''(US)''^(Wiktionary)
+ 
  ==Etymology==
− First recorded in the 1630s (as ''Iaggernat'') for the huge wagon carrying an image of Krishna at Puri;^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) the figurative sense “an idea or custom demanding blind devotion or merciless sacrifice” dates from 1854.^(Etymonline) It is [[bor|hi|जगन्नाथ|tr=Jagannāth|t=lord of the world]], a title of Krishna,^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate) [[der|sa|जगन्नाथ|tr=Jagannātha|t=lord of the world]],^(OED 1989)^(RHWU) from ''jagat'' “world” + ''nātha'' “lord, protector”.^(OED 1989)^(RHWU)
+ It is [[bor|hi|जगन्नाथ|tr=Jagannāth|t=lord of the world]], a title of Krishna,^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate) [[der|sa|जगन्नाथ|tr=Jagannātha|t=lord of the world]],^(OED 1989)^(RHWU) from ''jagat'' “world” + ''nātha'' “lord, protector”.^(OED 1989)^(RHWU) The spelling ''Jugger-'' reflects the Hindi short ''a''.^(OED 1989)
  
− The sense arose from the belief that worshippers threw themselves under the wheels of the wagon during the annual procession at Puri,^(AHD)^(Etymonline) which Etymonline calls apocryphal.^(Etymonline) The spelling ''Jugger-'' reflects the Hindi short ''a''.^(OED 1989)
+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==
+ A title of Krishna, and specifically the idol of this deity at Puri, drawn each year in procession on a huge wagon (1630s, as ''Iaggernat'').^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline)
+ 
+ ==Semantic evolution==
+ The first European description of the festival is by Friar Odoric (c. 1321).^(Etymonline) The later senses arose from the belief that worshippers threw themselves under the wheels of the wagon during the procession,^(AHD)^(Etymonline) which Etymonline calls apocryphal.^(Etymonline) The figurative sense “an institution or idea to which people blindly devote themselves or are ruthlessly sacrificed” dates from 1854,^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) and in British use the word also means a large heavy lorry.^(OED 1989)^(MW Collegiate)^(Wiktionary) It is also used of any overwhelming force that crushes everything in its path.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)
+ 
+ ==Timeline==
+ * c. 1321 – Friar Odoric describes the festival at Puri.^(Etymonline)
+ * 1638 – a title of Krishna; the idol at Puri.^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline)
+ * 1841 – “a large heavy vehicle”.^(OED 1989)^(MW Collegiate)
+ * 1854 – figurative, “something demanding blind devotion or sacrifice”.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989)
+ 
+ ==Modern meaning==
+ ===Noun===
+ # An overwhelming force or object that crushes everything in its path.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)
+ # Something, such as an institution or belief, that demands blind devotion or ruthless sacrifice.^(AHD)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)
+ # ''(British)'' A large heavy lorry.^(MW Collegiate)^(OED 1989)^(Wiktionary)
+ 
+ ==Word family==
+ * [[Juggernautish]]
  
  ==References==