pandora1
/panˈdɔːrə
/(also pandora shell or Pandora's box shell)
noun
A burrowing bivalve mollusc with a fragile shell, the unequal valves of which form a ‘box’ with a lid.
- Genus Pandora, family Pandoridae.
- Placostylus ambagiosus pandora is a subspecies of very large, air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusc in the family Bulimulidae.
Origin
Modern Latin, from Greek pandoura 'three-stringed lute' (because of the shell's resemblance to the soundbox of a stringed instrument).
Pandora2
/panˈdɔːrə/Greek Mythology
The first mortal woman. In one story she was created by Zeus and sent to earth with a jar or box of evils in revenge for Prometheus' having brought the gift of fire back to the world. She let out all the evils from the container to infect the earth; hope alone remained to assuage the lot of humankind.
Origin
From the Greek name Pandōra 'all-gifted' (from pan 'all' + dōron 'gift').