Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun An overwhelming or unstoppable force.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun The popular form of Jagannatha, the name of the famous Hindu idol. See Jagannatha, 2.
  • noun Figuratively, something, as an idea, custom, fashion, requirement, etc., to which one either devotes himself or is blindly sacrificed.
  • To crush as if by Juggernaut.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun One of the names under which Vishnu, in his incarnation as Krishna, is worshiped by the Hindus. See also jagannath.
  • noun Any large, unstoppable force, power, or popular movement which defeats or destroys any person who gets in its way or attempts to stop it.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A literal or metaphorical force or object regarded as unstoppable, that will crush all in its path.
  • noun UK A large, cumbersome truck or lorry, especially an artic (typically used somewhat disparagingly).
  • noun An institution that incites destructive devotion or to which people are carelessly sacrificed.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a massive inexorable force that seems to crush everything in its way
  • noun a crude idol of Krishna
  • noun an avatar of Vishnu

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Hindi jagannāth, title of Krishna, from Sanskrit jagannāthaḥ, lord of the world : jagat, moving, the world (from earlier present participle of jigāti, he goes; see gwā- in Indo-European roots) + nāthaḥ, lord (from nāthate, he helps, protects).]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Hindustani Hindi जगन्नाथ/Oriya ଜଗନ୍ନାଥ/ Urdu جگنّاتھ (jagannāth), from Sanskrit जगन्नाथ (jagannātha, "lord of the universe") (Jagannath), a title for the Hindu deity Vishnu's avatar Krishna. English form influenced by suffix -naut ("sailor").

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