Proteus

American  

[proh-tee-uhs, -tyoos] / ˈproʊ ti əs, -tyus /

noun

protei plural

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. (lowercase) 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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Proteus British  

/ ˈprəʊtɪəs /

noun

1. Greek myth a prophetic sea god capable of changing his shape at will

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Proteus Cultural  

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

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Someone or something that easily takes on several different forms may be called “protean.”

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• protei
  plural

Example Sentences

The Royal Navy is experimenting with various means of combating the threat, such as a new vessel called Proteus, but critics fear much of the damage to Britain's coastal security may already have been done.

From BBC • Nov. 19, 2025

They’re jobs that Amazon calculated cost more than a Proteus autonomous mobile robot.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 12, 2025

Three of the passengers were associated with Proteus Aero, a flight school based at the Santa Monica airport.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 12, 2024

Proteus is also expected to have the first underwater greenhouse in the world, so that the lab will be able to grow some of its own food.

From NewsForKids.net • Mar. 25, 2024

He went to the favorite haunt of Proteus, the island of Pharos, or some say Carpathos.

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton