In Hesiod’s account of Pandora, what does her name commonly mean?

In Hesiod’s account of Pandora, her name commonly means “all-gifted.” The name comes from the Greek elements pan, meaning “all,” and doron, meaning “gift.”

The meaning reflects the story’s description of Pandora as a figure to whom the gods collectively gave qualities, ornaments, or abilities. Hephaestus made her, while other deities contributed gifts that made her beautiful, persuasive, and socially compelling.

Some ancient and modern scholars have also discussed a related interpretation, “all-giving,” because Greek names and myths can support more than one shade of meaning. The “all-gifted” translation is especially common in explanations of the Pandora story because it emphasizes the gods’ contributions to her creation.

The name is not a description of a physical object and does not mean that Pandora herself gives every gift. It identifies her as a divinely equipped figure whose arrival is linked in Hesiod’s story to the suffering that follows humanity’s possession of fire.