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Proteus

[proh-tee-uh s, -tyoos]
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noun
  1. Classical Mythology. a sea god, son of Oceanus and Tethys, noted for his ability to assume different forms and to prophesy.
  2. a person or thing that readily changes appearance, character, principles, etc.
  3. plural pro·te·i [proh-tee-ahy] /ˈproʊ tiˌaɪ/. (lowercase) Bacteriology. any of several rod-shaped, aerobic bacteria of the genus Proteus, sometimes found as pathogens in the gastrointestinal and genitourinary tracts of humans.
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Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for proteus

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • That all this is true to Shakespeare appears from the fact that it is false to the character of Proteus.

  • And what see I on any side but the transmigrations of Proteus?

    Essays, First Series

    Ralph Waldo Emerson

  • But the Sophist is the Proteus who takes the likeness of all of them; all other deceivers have a piece of him in them.

    Sophist

    Plato

  • By Proteus, the old shepherd of the seals, you slumber uneasily.

    Thais

    Anatole France

  • Proteus rescues her, and threatens to resume his suit with violence.

    William Shakespeare

    John Masefield

British Dictionary definitions for proteus

Proteus

noun
  1. Greek myth a prophetic sea god capable of changing his shape at will
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for proteus

Proteus

c.1400, from Greek Proteus (see Protean).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
proteus in Medicine

Proteus

(prō′tē-əs)
n.
  1. A genus of gram-negative, rod-shaped aerobic bacteria of the family Enterobacteriaceae that includes certain species associated with human enteritis and urinary tract infections.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
proteus in Culture

Proteus

[(proh-tee-uhs, proh-tyoohs)]

In classical mythology, a god who served Poseidon. Proteus could change his shape at will.

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Note

Someone or something that easily takes on several different forms may be called “protean.”
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.