protean

(prō'tē-ən, prō-tē'-)
adj.

1. Readily taking on varied shapes, forms, or meanings.
2. Exhibiting considerable variety or diversity: "He loved to show off his protean talent" (William A. Henry III).

[From PROTEUS.]

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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.

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In a discussion of a controversial Supreme Court decision on a matter of eminent domain in New London, Conn., Justice Anthony Kennedy was called "protean" by The Wall Street Journal because he is a nominal conservative who at times votes leftward:

"The Court's four liberals (Justices Stevens, Breyer, Souter and Ginsburg) combined with the protean Anthony Kennedy to rule that local governments have more or less unlimited authority to seize homes and businesses."

Link: Kennedy's Vast Domain

Posted June 26, 2005.

See our Word Overheard blog to see interesting uses of strange words.

Slightly altered proteins that have become insoluble, probably an early stage of denaturation.

adjective

Having many aspects, uses, or abilities: all-around, all-round, many-sided, multifaceted, various, versatile. See ability/inability, same/different/compare.

adj

Definition: ever-changing
Antonyms: consistent, constant

adj

Definition: versatile
Antonyms: limited

1) of or resembling Proteus in having a varied nature or ability to assume different forms
2) displaying great diversity or variety: versatile

Changing form or assuming different shapes.

For a list of words related to protean, see:

• Submissive, Uncertain, or Tentative
• Special, Bright, Skillful, or Unusual

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See words rhyming with "protean."

  See crossword solutions for the clue Protean.

Dansk (Danish)
adj. - proteusagtig

Nederlands (Dutch)
veranderlijk, flexibel

Français (French)
adj. - changeant

Deutsch (German)
adj. - proteisch

Ελληνική (Greek)
adj. - πρωτεϊκός, ο ανήκων ή αναφερόμενος στον Πρωτέα, ευμετάβλητος

Italiano (Italian)
versatile

Português (Portuguese)
adj. - protéico, multiforme

Русский (Russian)
изменчивый, разносторонний

Español (Spanish)
adj. - proteico

Svenska (Swedish)
adj. - föränderlig, mångsidig, proteusartad

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
变化无常的

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
adj. - 變化無常的

한국어 (Korean)
adj. - 변화무쌍한, 다방면의

日本語 (Japanese)
adj. - 様々に変化する, 変幻自在な, 一人で数役を演じる

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(صفه) متقلب, يتخذ أشكالا مختلفه‏

עברית (Hebrew)
adj. - ‮לובש צורות שונות, מגוון (אמן)‬

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