protea
Britishnoun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of protea
C20: from New Latin, from Proteus , referring to the large number of different forms of the plant
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Hartman said he plans to open a nursery, hopefully later this year, so people can buy potted protea and plant them around their homes, given how drought-tolerant they are.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 13, 2026
At the lower altitudes pass lavender farms and protea fields and farmhouses serving great organic breakfasts on terraces overlooking the radiant rolling countryside.
From Washington Times ● Feb. 29, 2016
With a distinctly South African air, it has crisp white and gray interiors, faux kudu horns doubling as hat hooks, bulbous vases heaped with protea flowers, and Africology products in the bathrooms.
From New York Times ● Oct. 21, 2015
The king protea, the oldest flower in the world.
From Nature ● Jun. 12, 2013
Despite covering my free to protea it from Chris’s toxic toes, and laughing like a maniac, I heard something—a bunch of noise suddenly coming from outside.
From "The Boy in the Black Suit" by Jason Reynolds
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
