English Explanatory Dictionary

nemesis

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. An enemy, especially an archenemy.
  2. A person or character who specifically brings about the downfall of another person or character, as an agent of that character's fate or destiny, especially within a narrative.
  3. The personification of the "fatal flaw" of a dramatic hero in the style of Greek tragedy.
  4. Polar opposite, especially of a literary character.
  5. The principle of retributive justice.
  6. A punishment or defeat that is deserved and cannot be avoided; (an instance of) retribution.
name
  1. The goddess of divine retribution.
  2. 128 Nemesis, a main belt asteroid.
  3. A hypothetical star postulated to be orbiting the Sun to explain a perceived cycle of mass extinctions in the geological record.

Pronunciation

/ˈnɛməsɪs/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-nemesis.wav LL-Q1860 (eng)-Naomi Persephone Amethyst (NaomiAmethyst)-Nemesis.wav

Word forms

nemesis nemeses

Etymology

From the Greek goddess of retribution Nemesis (Ancient Greek Νέμεσις (Némesis)).

Derived words

archnemesis chocolate nemesis fremesis nemetic kismesis Nemesic

Translations

Bulgarian: отмъщение Bulgarian: отплата Bulgarian: възмездие Chinese Mandarin: 報應 /报应 Chinese Mandarin: 剋星 /克星 Czech: odplata Finnish: hyvitys Japanese: 報復 Macedonian: одмазда Russian: возме́здие Russian: воздая́ние Russian: распла́та Spanish: némesis
This entry uses open data from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA/GFDL). Word forms are used for search and are not indexed as separate pages.
Back to search All on N Russian dictionary Dahl dictionary