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  • pandora
    pandora
    noun
  • Pandora
    Pandora
    noun
    the first woman, created by Hephaestus, endowed by the gods with all the graces and treacherously presented to Epimetheus along with a box (originally a jar) in which Prometheus had confined all the evils that could trouble humanity. As the gods had anticipated, Pandora gave in to her curiosity and opened the box, allowing the evils to escape, thereby frustrating the efforts of Prometheus. In some versions, the box contained blessings, all of which escaped but hope.

pandora

1 American  
[pan-dawr-uh, -dohr-uh] / pænˈdɔr ə, -ˈdoʊr ə /
Also pandore

noun

  1. bandore.


Pandora 2 American  
[pan-dawr-uh, -dohr-uh] / pænˈdɔr ə, -ˈdoʊr ə /

noun

  1. Classical Mythology. the first woman, created by Hephaestus, endowed by the gods with all the graces and treacherously presented to Epimetheus along with a box (originally a jar) in which Prometheus had confined all the evils that could trouble humanity. As the gods had anticipated, Pandora gave in to her curiosity and opened the box, allowing the evils to escape, thereby frustrating the efforts of Prometheus. In some versions, the box contained blessings, all of which escaped but hope.


pandora 1 British  
/ pænˈdɔːrə /

noun

  1. a handsome red sea bream, Pagellus erythrinus, of European coastal waters, caught for food in the Mediterranean

  2. a marine bivalve mollusc of the genus Pandora that lives on the surface of sandy shores and has thin equal valves

  3. music another word for bandore

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Pandora 2 British  
/ pænˈdɔːrə, pænˈdɔː, ˈpændɔː /

noun

  1. Greek myth the first woman, made out of earth as the gods' revenge on man for obtaining fire from Prometheus. Given a box ( Pandora's box ) that she was forbidden to open, she disobeyed out of curiosity and released from it all the ills that beset man, leaving only hope within

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of Pandora

< Latin < Greek Pandṓra, equivalent to pan- pan- + dôr ( on ) gift + -a feminine noun ending

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

This recently rediscovered 16th century pop music was and is played by a six-man consort: violin, flute, bass viol and lute with a rhythm section of pandora and cittern.

From Time Magazine Archive

It is a pandora box, out of which ten thousand troubles, trials, difficulties, sins and crimes will come.

From There is No Harm in Dancing by W. E. Penn

At the same hour the monk was sitting in Bellinzona at his writing-table, a so-called pandora, a musical instrument, by his side.

From Modern Magic by Maximilian Schele de Vere

Danish company Pandora said the $150 million plant outside Ho Chi Minh City would create 7,000 local jobs and become the world's largest crafting facility for fine jewellery.

From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026

Adyen was leading the Stoxx 600 index risers—up 9.1%-while Maersk and Pandora shares were also up 7.7% and 4.5%, respectively, after reporting earnings.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

SiriusXM also owns the streaming service Pandora, which it acquired for $3.5 billion in 2019.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026

The probe includes Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora, Amazon Music, and YouTube Music and concerns alleged undisclosed financial arrangements’ to boost visibility.

From Barron's ● Apr. 22, 2026

“Only one spirit remained inside when Pandora opened it.”

From "The Last Olympian" by Rick Riordan

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