Proteus
[proh-tee-uh s, -tyoos]
- Classical Mythology. a sea god, son of Oceanus and Tethys, noted for his ability to assume different forms and to prophesy.
- a person or thing that readily changes appearance, character, principles, etc.
- 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
Related Words for proteus
toad, frog, salamander, hyla, proteus, caecilian, caudate, newt, ambiguity, duplicity, handyman, tinker, factotum, pantologistExamples from the Web for proteus
Contemporary Examples of proteus
However, the current thinking is that Merrick may have suffered from Proteus syndrome.
Historical Examples of proteus
That all this is true to Shakespeare appears from the fact that it is false to the character of Proteus.
The Man ShakespeareFrank Harris
And what see I on any side but the transmigrations of Proteus?
Essays, First SeriesRalph 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.
SophistPlato
By Proteus, the old shepherd of the seals, you slumber uneasily.
ThaisAnatole France
Proteus rescues her, and threatens to resume his suit with violence.
William ShakespeareJohn Masefield
Proteus
- 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
(prō′tē-əs)- 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
[(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.