WordDaily - Juggernaut
ˈjəɡərˌnät
NOUN
A huge, powerful, and overwhelming force or institution.
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EXAMPLE SENTENCES
“The youngest candidate is a juggernaut who impresses voters and blows away competitors in every debate.”
“Disney is a global juggernaut, with theme parks and a media empire based around characters that are immediately recognized around the world.”
“My favorite movies are the ones in which the underdog prevails over the juggernaut.”
WORD ORIGIN
Sanskrit, mid-19th century
WHY THIS WORD?
Many Sanskrit-based words were first introduced to English when a 14th-century European monk traveled through Asia and came back with many stories, including the worship of the Hindu god Jagannath. In religious processions, an enormous statue of Jagannath was carried through the streets on a carriage, and fanatical worshippers would throw themselves under the wheels as a sacrifice. “Juggernaut,” meaning “an unstoppable force,” was in regular use in English by the mid-19th century. In the 20th century, Marvel took inspiration for the X-Men character named Juggernaut. He’s unstoppable once in motion, he doesn’t tire from physical activity, and he can survive without food, water, or oxygen.
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