proper noun · masculinevariously declined, third declension, second declension
Prōteus
Prōteus m sg (genitive Prōteos or Prōteī)
Classical[ˈproː.tɛu̯s]Ecclesiastical[ˈprɔː.teu̯s]
Meaning
- Proteus (a sea god in the service of Poseidon)
Declension
| form | singular | plural |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | Prōte͡us | — |
| genitive | Prōteos Prōteī | — |
| dative | Prōteō | — |
| accusative | Prōtea Prōteum | — |
| ablative | Prōteō | — |
| vocative | Prōte͡u | — |
Prōteus (dissyl.), ĕi and ĕos, m., = Πρωτεύς,
I. a sea-god who often changed his form; he was in the service of Neptune, and kept his sea-calves, Ov. M. 8, 731; 2, 9; id. A. A. 1, 761; Hor. C. 1, 2, 7; Verg. G. 4, 388; Ov. F. 1, 367:
Protei columnae, i. e. the boundary of Egypt, Verg. A. 11, 262.— Transf., of a fickle person: Protea tenere, Hor. Ep. 1, 1, 90; of a cunning person, id. S. 2, 3, 71; cf. Amm. 29, 1, 39.Charlton Lewis's shorter dictionary for students: the same scholarship in plain, modern definitions.
Prōteus (disyl.), eī, acc. ea, voc. eu, m
, Πρωτεύς, a sea-god of changeable form, V., H., O.: Protei columnae, i. e. the boundary of Egypt, V.: Quo teneam voltūs mutantem Protea modo? i. e. How bind one so fickle! H.: Effugiet haec vincula Proteus, i. e. the cunning rogue, H.
Origins
Borrowed from Ancient Greek Πρωτεύς (Prōteús).