Nemesis

nemesis | nemss | n. Also N-. Pl. nemeses | nemsiz | . L16. [Gk = righteous indignation, personified as the goddess of retribution or vengeance, f. nemein deal out what is due, rel. to nomos custom, law.] 1 An agent of retribution; a person who avenges or punishes. L16. b A persistent tormentor; a long-standing rival or enemy. US. M20. 2 (An instance of) retributive justice. L16.

1 SHAKES. 1 Hen. VI Is Talbot slain--the Frenchmen's only scourge, Your kingdom's terror and black Nemesis? b Business Week Juan Pablo Perez Alphonsolong time nemesis of the oil companies. 2 R. MACAULAY The Nemesis that his crime deserved.

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Excerpted from The Oxford Interactive Encyclopedia

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In Greek mythology, Nemesis (in Greek, Νέμεσις), also called Rhamnousia/Rhamnusia ("the goddess of Rhamnous") at her sanctuary at Rhamnous, north of Marathon, was the spirit of divine retribution against those who succumb to hubris (Extreme haughtiness or arrogance). The Greeks personified vengeful fate as a remorseless goddess. The name Nemesis is related to the Greek word νέμειν, nemein, meaning "to give what is due". The Romans equated the Greek Nemesis with Invidia (Aronoff 2003).

Nemesis is now often used as a term to describe one's worst enemy, normally someone or something that is the exact opposite of oneself but is also somehow similar. For example, Professor Moriarty is frequently described as the nemesis of Sherlock Holmes.

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