Definitions

1. noun

A person or thing that is the occasion or means of a fall or downfall; a snare.

“He was his own Nessus, unaware of the dangers he was courting.”

2. noun

In Greek mythology, a centaur who was the charioteer of Hercules and was burned to death by him when Nessus tried to rape Deianira.

“The story of Hercules and Nessus is a cautionary tale about the dangers of unchecked power.”