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Juggernaut

The term juggernaut is used to describe any literal or metaphorical force regarded as unstoppable; that will crush all in its path. In Britain, it is also used to refer to any large and heavy lorry. An older meaning is for any institution that incites destructive devotion or to which people are carelessly sacrificed.

The word is derived from a title for the Hindu deity Vishnu avatar Krishna, the Sanskrit jagannath, meaning "lord of the world". The destructive force meaning comes from the custom where worshippers allow themselves to be crushed under the sixteen wheels of a huge wagon on which the idol of Krishna is drawn in an annual procession in Puri, Orissa.


The Juggernaut is a comic book character in the fictional Marvel Universe.