Gr. Myth. the first mortal woman: out of curiosity she opens a box, letting out all human ills into the world (or, in a later version, letting all human blessings escape and be lost, leaving only hope)
See pandora in American Heritage Dictionary 4
(păn-dôrˈə, -dōrˈə)
noun
Greek Mythology The first woman, bestowed upon humankind as a punishment for Prometheus's theft of fire. Entrusted with a box containing all the ills that could plague people, she opened it out of curiosity and thereby released all the evils of human life.