juggernaut
noun

- a massive inexorable force, campaign, movement or object that crushes whatever is in its path

- (chiefly British) a large heavy truck; a lorry

Merriam-Webster Dictionaries

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ORIGIN

Juggernaut derives from the name of a Hindu god whose name is an alteration of the Hindi “Jagannath,” which stems from the Sanskrit “Jagannatha” or lord of the world. The god is represented by an idol of Krishna in a temple at Puri in Orissa.

The main celebration of this god involves a motorcar festival in which Jagganath is dragged in a giant car over the sand to another temple. The car boasts 16 wheels, each around 2 metres in diameter. Legend says that fanatical pilgrims once threw themselves under the wheels of the car on the last day of the festival in an effort to go straight to paradise.

This tradition has nevertheless led to the use of juggernaut to refer to an organisation, regime or institution under which people are literally or figuratively crushed. Even powerful businesses and successful sports teams can be categorised as juggernauts.

Juggernaut also refers to the large lorries, also known as HGVs (heavy goods vehicles) that rumble across Great Britain and Europe delivering freight.

Because of lorries’ noise, road damage, and CO2 emissions, the word juggernaut is often used in a disparaging fashion by environmentalists.

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SMUGGLE OWAD into a conversation today, say something like:

“In the passage of time, all JUGGERNAUTS peak, decline, and disappear.”

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Thanks to Florian for suggesting today’s word

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HERZLICHEN DANK to all readers helping me keep OWAD alive with single or monthly donations at:

https://donorbox.org/please-become-a-friend-of-owad-3

Paul Smith