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...
Wikipedia foundation.
Protean — Pro te*an, a. 1. Of or pertaining to Proteus; characteristic of Proteus. Protean transformations. Cudworth. [1913 Webster] 2. Exceedingly variable; readily assuming different shapes or forms; as, an am[oe]ba is a protean animalcule. [1913… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
protean — I adjective alterable, assuming different forms, changeable, changeful, everchanging, fluid, kaleidoscopic, metamorphic, mobile, modifiable, movable, multiform, multiphase, mutable, nonuniform, omniform, permutable, polymorphic, polymorphous,… … Law dictionary
Protean — 1590s, from Gk. Proteus, sea god (son of Oceanus and Tethys) who could change his form; his name is lit. first, from protos first (see PROTO (Cf. proto )) … Etymology dictionary
protean — *changeable, changeful, variable, mutable … New Dictionary of Synonyms
protean — meaning ‘able to change form, versatile’ (after the ancient mythical figure Proteus), is normally pronounced with the stress on the first syllable, and is spelt with a small initial p … Modern English usage
protean — ► ADJECTIVE ▪ tending or able to change or adapt; variable or versatile. ORIGIN from the Greek sea god Proteus, who was able to change shape at will … English terms dictionary
protean — protean1 [prōt′ē ən, prō tē′ən] adj. 1. [P ] of or like Proteus 2. very changeable; readily taking on different shapes and forms protean2 [prōt′ē ən] n. [ PROTE(IN) + AN] any of a group of insoluble derived proteins that are the first products of … English World dictionary
Protean — Very variable; easily changing; or continually changing. Protean is not to be confused with protein (a member of a large group of chemicals necessary to and found in all living things). Protean refers to Proteus, the mythologic master of disguise … Medical dictionary
protean — [[t]pro͟ʊtiən[/t]] ADJ GRADED: usu ADJ n If you describe someone or something as protean, you mean that they have the ability to continually change their nature, appearance, or behaviour. [FORMAL] He is a protean stylist who can move from blues… … English dictionary
protean — adjective 1) the protean nature of mental disorders Syn: ever changing, variable, changeable, mutable, kaleidoscopic, inconstant, inconsistent, unstable, shifting, unsettled, fluctuating, fluid, wavering, vacillating, mercurial, volatile;… … Thesaurus of popular words
