Proteus

American  

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

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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Discover More

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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• protei
  plural

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Proteus

On her way out, Nanna pocketed a mosaic tile depicting the shape-shifting Greek sea god Proteus.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

Proteus, the largest of the small moons included in the study, did not show the same phyllosilicate signature.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 14, 2026

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

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 12, 2025

The team sees the Proteus taking off from a Royal Navy frigate, flying to pre-set co-ordinates, dropping the high-tech buoys, then returning to the flight deck.

From BBC ● Mar. 20, 2025

There he seized Proteus and did not let him go, in spite of the terrible forms he assumed, until the god was discouraged and returned to his own shape.

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

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