protean
See also: Protean
English
Etymology
From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Ancient Greek Πρωτεύς (Prōteús), the Greek warden of sea beasts, renowned for his ability to change shape. [1]
Pronunciation
- Lua error in Module:parameters at line 290: Parameter 1 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value "UK" is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E. IPA(key): /ˈpɹəʊ.tɪ.ən/, /pɹəʊˈtiː.ən/
- Lua error in Module:parameters at line 290: Parameter 1 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value "US" is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E. enPR: prō'ti-ən, prō-tē'ən, IPA(key): /ˈpɹoʊ.tɪ.ən/, /pɹoʊˈtiː.ən/
,Audio (US): (file) Audio (US): (file)
Adjective
protean (comparative more protean, superlative most protean)
- Exceedingly variable; readily assuming different shapes or forms.
- An amoeba is a protean animalcule.
- His plots and protean characters plunge readers into the world of fable, yet their universal appeal, as this biography shows, is deeply rooted in the particularity of Garcia Marquez’s own idiosyncratic early life...
- William A. Henry III:
- He loved to show off his protean talent.
- 1980, Gershon Legman, The New Limerick:
- […] the word's protean expressiveness has been observed in a xeroxlore item printed in Robert Anton Wilson's Playboy's Book of Forbidden Words […]
- Alternative letter-case form of Protean (of or relating to Proteus).
Synonyms
- (exceedingly variable; readily assuming different shapes or forms): multiform, polymorphic, polymorphous; See also Thesaurus:multiform
Translations
exceedingly variable
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of or pertaining to Proteus; characteristic of Proteus
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