Proteus noun. ['prǝʊtɪǝs, -tju:s] L16.
[Latin from Greek Prōteus, in Greek & Roman mythol. a sea-god, the son of Oceanus and Tethys, capable of taking various forms at will.]
1. A person who or thing which takes various forms or characters; a changing, varying, or inconstant person or thing. L16.

2. a. Biology. A micro-organism of variable shape; esp. an amoeba. Now usu. spec., a Gram-negative intestinal or saprophytic bacterium of the genus Proteus. E19.
b. Zoology. = OLM. Now only as mod. Latin genus name. E19.

[TahlilGaran] English Dictionary ▲