From Greek 'Nemesis,' goddess of retribution, from 'nemein' (to distribute) — literally 'she who distributes what is due.'
An inescapable agent of someone's downfall; a long-standing rival or adversary; retributive justice.
From Latin 'Nemesis,' from Greek 'Νέμεσις' (Nemesis), the goddess of retribution and righteous indignation, from 'νέμειν' (nemein, 'to distribute, to allot, to deal out what is due'), from PIE *nem- (to assign, to allot, to take). The goddess Nemesis personified the cosmic principle that excessive good fortune (hubris) must be balanced by proportionate suffering. Her name literally means 'she who distributes' — the divine enforcer of fair allotment, who ensured that no mortal received more than their share without
The goddess Nemesis and the word 'economy' share the same root. Greek 'nemein' (to distribute, to allot) produced both 'Nemesis' (the distributor of cosmic justice) and 'nomos' (law, custom, management), which combined with 'oikos' (house) to give us 'oikonomia' (household management) — whence 'economy.' Divine retribution and household budgets are etymological siblings.