Meanings
proteus1
nounproteus (plural protei)
plural protei
- Any of many gram-negative bacteria, of the genus Proteus, several of which are responsible for human infections.
Proteus2
proper noun
- Greekhuman sciencesA sea god who could change his shape at will.
"I am known as the Old Man of the Sea, but back in my day, people called me Proteus. "No way!" Egan said. "This guy had Poseidon's job before Poseidon."
2026, James Patterson and Chris Tebbetts, Dr. Zeus, page 209
Origin
Proteus · proper noun
- Ancient GreekΠρωτεύς
- Ancient GreekΠρωτεύς
- EnglishProteus
Borrowed from Ancient Greek Πρωτεύς (Prōteús).
More words from Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek Πρωτεύς
- Πρωτεύς (Prōteús)mythology
Bulgarian Протей, Протей
- Протей (Protej)mythology
- Протей (Protej)moon
Catalan Proteu, Proteu
- Proteumythology
- Proteumoon
Finnish Proteus
- Proteusmoon
French Protée, Protée
- Protéemythology
- Protéemoon
German Proteus, Proteus
- Proteusmythology
- Proteusmoon
Greek Πρωτέας
- Πρωτέας (Protéas)mythology
Italian Proteo, Proteo
- Proteomythology
- Proteomoon
Latin Prōteus
- Prōteusmythology
Portuguese Proteu, Proteu
- Proteumythology
- Proteumoon
Russian Проте́й, Проте́й
- Проте́й (Protéj)mythology
- Проте́й (Protéj)moon
Spanish Proteo, Proteo
- Proteomythology
- Proteomoon
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
APA
proteus. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/proteus
MLA
“proteus.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/proteus. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “proteus,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/proteus.
Source: proteus on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.