Pandora

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A figure in ancient Greek tales embodying the nature of curiosity and the unexpected fallout from one's desires
2. A character from Greek mythology known for opening a box that released all the world's troubles
3. A legendary woman in ancient stories whose actions brought unexpected misfortunes into the world

Etymology: Pandora is a figure from Greek myth, and her name is a compound of two Greek words: "pan," meaning "all," and "dōron," meaning "gift." The name therefore means "all-gifted" or "all-giving," and in the myth she is the first woman, fashioned by the gods and given gifts by each of them before being sent to humankind. The best-known story attached to her is the jar, or more accurately the box, which she opened against warning. Hesiod's account tells how she released troubles into the world, leaving only hope inside. That image of a container holding everything, and then letting it loose, is what the name has carried into English ever since. Because the myth was so widely retold, the name became a common reference point in European writing, and in English it is used both for the myth itself and for any source of many troubles released at once. Its meaning in English has stayed close to its Greek sense of "all gifts," even as the story's emphasis has shifted toward the disaster it set off.