"protean" meaning in English

See protean in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Adjective

IPA: /ˈpɹəʊ.tɪ.ən/ [UK], /pɹəʊˈtiː.ən/ [UK], /ˈpɹoʊ.tɪ.ən/ [US], /pɹoʊˈtiː.ən/ [US] Audio: en-us-protean.ogg , en-us-protean-2.ogg Forms: more protean [comparative], most protean [superlative]
enPR: prō'ti-ən [US], prō-tē'ən [US] Etymology: From Ancient Greek Πρωτεύς (Prōteús, literally “first”), the Greek warden of sea-beasts, renowned for his ability to change shape. Etymology templates: {{bor|en|grc|Πρωτεύς|lit=first}} Ancient Greek Πρωτεύς (Prōteús, literally “first”) Head templates: {{en-adj}} protean (comparative more protean, superlative most protean)
  1. Exceedingly variable; readily assuming different shapes or forms. Synonyms: multiform, polymorphic, polymorphous, shapeshifting, multiform Translations (exceedingly variable): многообразен (mnogoobrazen) (Bulgarian), многолик (mnogolik) (Bulgarian), proteic (Catalan), protéovský (Czech), proteïsch (Dutch), wisselvallig (Dutch), veelvormig (Dutch), monimuotoinen (Finnish), muuntautumiskykyinen (Finnish), kameleonttimainen (Finnish), variable (French), changeant (French), instable (French), protéiforme (French), vielgestaltig (German), proteisch (German), zmienny [masculine] (Polish), protejski (Serbo-Croatian), nestalan (Serbo-Croatian), proteico (Spanish)
    Sense id: en-protean-en-adj-xMHEcHVl Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, English terms suffixed with -an, Entries with translation boxes, Pages with 1 entry Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 35 33 32 Disambiguation of English terms suffixed with -an: 35 35 29 Disambiguation of Entries with translation boxes: 48 29 23 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 38 31 31 Disambiguation of 'exceedingly variable': 96 4
  2. Alternative letter-case form of Protean (of or relating to Proteus). Tags: alt-of Alternative form of: Protean (extra: of or relating to Proteus) Translations (of or pertaining to Proteus; characteristic of Proteus): proteïsch (Dutch), protéique (French), proteusartig (German), proteico (Portuguese), protejski (Serbo-Croatian)
    Sense id: en-protean-en-adj-owQfgIPi Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, English terms suffixed with -an, Pages with 1 entry, Pages with entries, Terms with Bulgarian translations, Terms with Catalan translations, Terms with Czech translations, Terms with Dutch translations, Terms with Finnish translations, Terms with French translations, Terms with German translations, Terms with Polish translations, Terms with Portuguese translations, Terms with Serbo-Croatian translations, Terms with Spanish translations Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 35 33 32 Disambiguation of English terms suffixed with -an: 35 35 29 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 38 31 31 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 31 41 28 Disambiguation of Terms with Bulgarian translations: 30 47 22 Disambiguation of Terms with Catalan translations: 29 48 23 Disambiguation of Terms with Czech translations: 30 46 24 Disambiguation of Terms with Dutch translations: 32 44 24 Disambiguation of Terms with Finnish translations: 33 45 22 Disambiguation of Terms with French translations: 35 43 22 Disambiguation of Terms with German translations: 34 44 22 Disambiguation of Terms with Polish translations: 34 43 22 Disambiguation of Terms with Portuguese translations: 28 51 22 Disambiguation of Terms with Serbo-Croatian translations: 29 48 23 Disambiguation of Terms with Spanish translations: 32 46 23 Disambiguation of 'of or pertaining to Proteus; characteristic of Proteus': 20 80

Noun

IPA: /ˈpɹəʊ.tɪ.ən/ [UK], /pɹəʊˈtiː.ən/ [UK], /ˈpɹoʊ.tɪ.ən/ [US], /pɹoʊˈtiː.ən/ [US] Audio: en-us-protean.ogg , en-us-protean-2.ogg Forms: proteans [plural]
enPR: prō'ti-ən [US], prō-tē'ən [US] Etymology: From Ancient Greek Πρωτεύς (Prōteús, literally “first”), the Greek warden of sea-beasts, renowned for his ability to change shape. Etymology templates: {{bor|en|grc|Πρωτεύς|lit=first}} Ancient Greek Πρωτεύς (Prōteús, literally “first”) Head templates: {{en-noun}} protean (plural proteans)
  1. (biochemistry) A protein that has been slightly modified by water, dilute acid, or enzymes, but not modified to the extent of a metaprotein. Categories (topical): Biochemistry Related terms: Protea
    Sense id: en-protean-en-noun-n-qy33d1 Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, English terms suffixed with -an, Pages with 1 entry Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 35 33 32 Disambiguation of English terms suffixed with -an: 35 35 29 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 38 31 31 Topics: biochemistry, biology, chemistry, microbiology, natural-sciences, physical-sciences

Inflected forms

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  "forms": [
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      "form": "more protean",
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        {
          "text": "An amoeba is a protean animalcule.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1954 February 15, Henry E. Michelson, “The Syndrome of Lupus Erythematosus”, in Modern Medicine, volume 22, number 4, Minneapolis, Minn.: Modern Medicine Publications, Inc., page 96:",
          "text": "Virus infection of the blood and bone marrow is probably responsible for all forms of the disease. The viral theory of origin accounts for the protean manifestations of the condition.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1980, Gershon Legman, The New Limerick:",
          "text": "[…] the word's protean expressiveness has been observed in a xeroxlore item printed in Robert Anton Wilson's Playboy's Book of Forbidden Words […]",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1987, William A. Henry III, Time Magazine, volume 129:",
          "text": "He loved to show off his protean talent.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2020 October 27, Daphne Merkin, “Shifting the Focus From Sylvia Plath’s Tragic Death to Her Brilliant Life”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:",
          "text": "In the intervening decades she has become a protean figure, an emblem of different things to different people, depending upon their viewpoint — a visionary, a victim, a martyr, a feminist icon, a schizophrenic, a virago, a prisoner of gender — or, perhaps, a genius, as both Plath and Hughes maintained during her lifetime.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Exceedingly variable; readily assuming different shapes or forms."
      ],
      "id": "en-protean-en-adj-xMHEcHVl",
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "multiform"
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        {
          "word": "polymorphic"
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        {
          "word": "polymorphous"
        },
        {
          "word": "shapeshifting"
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          "word": "multiform"
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      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "bg",
          "lang": "Bulgarian",
          "roman": "mnogoobrazen",
          "sense": "exceedingly variable",
          "word": "многообразен"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "bg",
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          "roman": "mnogolik",
          "sense": "exceedingly variable",
          "word": "многолик"
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        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "ca",
          "lang": "Catalan",
          "sense": "exceedingly variable",
          "word": "proteic"
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        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "cs",
          "lang": "Czech",
          "sense": "exceedingly variable",
          "word": "protéovský"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "sense": "exceedingly variable",
          "word": "proteïsch"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "sense": "exceedingly variable",
          "word": "wisselvallig"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "sense": "exceedingly variable",
          "word": "veelvormig"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "exceedingly variable",
          "word": "monimuotoinen"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "exceedingly variable",
          "word": "muuntautumiskykyinen"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "exceedingly variable",
          "word": "kameleonttimainen"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "exceedingly variable",
          "word": "variable"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "exceedingly variable",
          "word": "changeant"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "exceedingly variable",
          "word": "instable"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "exceedingly variable",
          "word": "protéiforme"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "exceedingly variable",
          "word": "vielgestaltig"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "exceedingly variable",
          "word": "proteisch"
        },
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          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "exceedingly variable",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
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        },
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          "_dis1": "96 4",
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          "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
          "sense": "exceedingly variable",
          "word": "protejski"
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          "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
          "sense": "exceedingly variable",
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          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "exceedingly variable",
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      "glosses": [
        "Alternative letter-case form of Protean (of or relating to Proteus)."
      ],
      "id": "en-protean-en-adj-owQfgIPi",
      "links": [
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          "Protean",
          "Protean#English"
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      "translations": [
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          "_dis1": "20 80",
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "sense": "of or pertaining to Proteus; characteristic of Proteus",
          "word": "proteïsch"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "20 80",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "of or pertaining to Proteus; characteristic of Proteus",
          "word": "protéique"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "20 80",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "of or pertaining to Proteus; characteristic of Proteus",
          "word": "proteusartig"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "20 80",
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "of or pertaining to Proteus; characteristic of Proteus",
          "word": "proteico"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "20 80",
          "code": "sh",
          "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
          "sense": "of or pertaining to Proteus; characteristic of Proteus",
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        }
      ]
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  "sounds": [
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      "ipa": "/ˈpɹəʊ.tɪ.ən/",
      "tags": [
        "UK"
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      "ipa": "/pɹəʊˈtiː.ən/",
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      "enpr": "prō'ti-ən",
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      "enpr": "prō-tē'ən",
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      "homophone": "protein stripped-by-parse_pron_post_template_fn"
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        "English terms with usage examples",
        "Quotation templates to be cleaned"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "An amoeba is a protean animalcule.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1954 February 15, Henry E. Michelson, “The Syndrome of Lupus Erythematosus”, in Modern Medicine, volume 22, number 4, Minneapolis, Minn.: Modern Medicine Publications, Inc., page 96:",
          "text": "Virus infection of the blood and bone marrow is probably responsible for all forms of the disease. The viral theory of origin accounts for the protean manifestations of the condition.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1980, Gershon Legman, The New Limerick:",
          "text": "[…] the word's protean expressiveness has been observed in a xeroxlore item printed in Robert Anton Wilson's Playboy's Book of Forbidden Words […]",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1987, William A. Henry III, Time Magazine, volume 129:",
          "text": "He loved to show off his protean talent.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2020 October 27, Daphne Merkin, “Shifting the Focus From Sylvia Plath’s Tragic Death to Her Brilliant Life”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:",
          "text": "In the intervening decades she has become a protean figure, an emblem of different things to different people, depending upon their viewpoint — a visionary, a victim, a martyr, a feminist icon, a schizophrenic, a virago, a prisoner of gender — or, perhaps, a genius, as both Plath and Hughes maintained during her lifetime.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Exceedingly variable; readily assuming different shapes or forms."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "multiform"
        },
        {
          "word": "polymorphic"
        },
        {
          "word": "polymorphous"
        },
        {
          "word": "shapeshifting"
        },
        {
          "word": "multiform"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "alt_of": [
        {
          "extra": "of or relating to Proteus",
          "word": "Protean"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative letter-case form of Protean (of or relating to Proteus)."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "Protean",
          "Protean#English"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈpɹəʊ.tɪ.ən/",
      "tags": [
        "UK"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/pɹəʊˈtiː.ən/",
      "tags": [
        "UK"
      ]
    },
    {
      "enpr": "prō'ti-ən",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    },
    {
      "enpr": "prō-tē'ən",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈpɹoʊ.tɪ.ən/",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/pɹoʊˈtiː.ən/",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    },
    {
      "homophone": "protein stripped-by-parse_pron_post_template_fn"
    },
    {
      "audio": "en-us-protean.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/4/42/En-us-protean.ogg/En-us-protean.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/42/En-us-protean.ogg"
    },
    {
      "audio": "en-us-protean-2.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/b/b1/En-us-protean-2.ogg/En-us-protean-2.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b1/En-us-protean-2.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "bg",
      "lang": "Bulgarian",
      "roman": "mnogoobrazen",
      "sense": "exceedingly variable",
      "word": "многообразен"
    },
    {
      "code": "bg",
      "lang": "Bulgarian",
      "roman": "mnogolik",
      "sense": "exceedingly variable",
      "word": "многолик"
    },
    {
      "code": "ca",
      "lang": "Catalan",
      "sense": "exceedingly variable",
      "word": "proteic"
    },
    {
      "code": "cs",
      "lang": "Czech",
      "sense": "exceedingly variable",
      "word": "protéovský"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "exceedingly variable",
      "word": "proteïsch"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "exceedingly variable",
      "word": "wisselvallig"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "exceedingly variable",
      "word": "veelvormig"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "exceedingly variable",
      "word": "monimuotoinen"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "exceedingly variable",
      "word": "muuntautumiskykyinen"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "exceedingly variable",
      "word": "kameleonttimainen"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "exceedingly variable",
      "word": "variable"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "exceedingly variable",
      "word": "changeant"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "exceedingly variable",
      "word": "instable"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "exceedingly variable",
      "word": "protéiforme"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "exceedingly variable",
      "word": "vielgestaltig"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "exceedingly variable",
      "word": "proteisch"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "exceedingly variable",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "zmienny"
    },
    {
      "code": "sh",
      "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
      "sense": "exceedingly variable",
      "word": "protejski"
    },
    {
      "code": "sh",
      "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
      "sense": "exceedingly variable",
      "word": "nestalan"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "exceedingly variable",
      "word": "proteico"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "of or pertaining to Proteus; characteristic of Proteus",
      "word": "proteïsch"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "of or pertaining to Proteus; characteristic of Proteus",
      "word": "protéique"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "of or pertaining to Proteus; characteristic of Proteus",
      "word": "proteusartig"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "of or pertaining to Proteus; characteristic of Proteus",
      "word": "proteico"
    },
    {
      "code": "sh",
      "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
      "sense": "of or pertaining to Proteus; characteristic of Proteus",
      "word": "protejski"
    }
  ],
  "word": "protean"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English adjectives",
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English eponyms",
    "English lemmas",
    "English nouns",
    "English terms borrowed from Ancient Greek",
    "English terms derived from Ancient Greek",
    "English terms suffixed with -an",
    "English terms with homophones",
    "Entries with translation boxes",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Terms with Bulgarian translations",
    "Terms with Catalan translations",
    "Terms with Czech translations",
    "Terms with Dutch translations",
    "Terms with Finnish translations",
    "Terms with French translations",
    "Terms with German translations",
    "Terms with Polish translations",
    "Terms with Portuguese translations",
    "Terms with Serbo-Croatian translations",
    "Terms with Spanish translations"
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "grc",
        "3": "Πρωτεύς",
        "lit": "first"
      },
      "expansion": "Ancient Greek Πρωτεύς (Prōteús, literally “first”)",
      "name": "bor"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From Ancient Greek Πρωτεύς (Prōteús, literally “first”), the Greek warden of sea-beasts, renowned for his ability to change shape.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "proteans",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "protean (plural proteans)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "Protea"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "en:Biochemistry"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A protein that has been slightly modified by water, dilute acid, or enzymes, but not modified to the extent of a metaprotein."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "biochemistry",
          "biochemistry"
        ],
        [
          "protein",
          "protein"
        ],
        [
          "water",
          "water"
        ],
        [
          "dilute",
          "dilute"
        ],
        [
          "acid",
          "acid"
        ],
        [
          "enzyme",
          "enzyme"
        ],
        [
          "metaprotein",
          "metaprotein"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(biochemistry) A protein that has been slightly modified by water, dilute acid, or enzymes, but not modified to the extent of a metaprotein."
      ],
      "topics": [
        "biochemistry",
        "biology",
        "chemistry",
        "microbiology",
        "natural-sciences",
        "physical-sciences"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈpɹəʊ.tɪ.ən/",
      "tags": [
        "UK"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/pɹəʊˈtiː.ən/",
      "tags": [
        "UK"
      ]
    },
    {
      "enpr": "prō'ti-ən",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    },
    {
      "enpr": "prō-tē'ən",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈpɹoʊ.tɪ.ən/",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/pɹoʊˈtiː.ən/",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    },
    {
      "homophone": "protein stripped-by-parse_pron_post_template_fn"
    },
    {
      "audio": "en-us-protean.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/4/42/En-us-protean.ogg/En-us-protean.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/42/En-us-protean.ogg"
    },
    {
      "audio": "en-us-protean-2.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/b/b1/En-us-protean-2.ogg/En-us-protean-2.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b1/En-us-protean-2.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "word": "protean"
}

Download raw JSONL data for protean meaning in English (9.4kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-12-15 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-12-04 using wiktextract (8a39820 and 4401a4c). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.