From names to wordsMyths & disputes

juggernaut

Jagannātha, 'Lord of the World', is the form of Krishna worshipped at Puri in Odisha, whose giant temple car is hauled through the streets each year; Europeans turned the name into a word for any unstoppable crushing force, from a British heavy lorry to an American sports dynasty.

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The story you may have heard

That pilgrims routinely threw themselves under Jagannath's chariot wheels: European travellers exaggerated rare accidents and occasional suicides into a custom.

The road to English

From Sanskrit to Odia

From Sanskrit to Bengali

From English to American English

400 CESanskrit

Hops are evenly spaced; labels show the year each form is first attested.

juggernaut

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The road to English

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