protean
adjective

- readily taking on varied shapes, forms, or meanings
- exhibiting considerable variety or diversity

(The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language)

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WORD ORIGIN

Protean stems from Proteus, the Greek sea God who could transform himself at will. Proteus was the warden of the sea beasts of Poseidon. His flocks were usually said to comprise of seals. He possessed the gift of prophecy but could change into many forms to evade questioning. At midday he would recline in the shadow of the rocks and if he was seized, and his shape-changing ploys proved unsuccessful, he would resume his appearance and foretell the future.

Because of Proteus' ability to rapidly transform himself into many different forms depending on the situation, the adjective protean came to signify versatility and the ability to adapt. Although it has positive connotations of flexibility, it can also be used in a negative context to describe someone who is constantly changing and therefore exhibits no consistency or strength of character (politicians like to accuse opponents of being protean).

Greek mythology has given us many words. The following is just a small sample:

atlas - someone who carries a heavy burden (from Atlas, the Greek titan who bore the spheres of heaven)

aphrodisiac - something that intensifies romantic desires (from Aphrodite, Greek goddess of love)

elysian - delightful, blissful (from the Greek Elysion, the place where the blessed are sent after death)

fauna and flora - animal and plant life (from Faunus, the Greek god of animals and Flora, the goddess of flowers)

halcyon - calm and peaceful (from the Greek myth of Alcyone, daughter of Aeolus who was transformed into a Kingfisher bird. When she laid her eggs and made her nest on the beach, her father restrained the winds and calmed the seas for seven days. This is the origin of the phrase "halcyon days," which refers to a time of prosperity.)

narcissism - excessive love or admiration of oneself (from Narkissos, the beautiful youth in Greek mythology who constantly admires his own reflection in a pool of water)

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SYNONYMS

versatile, many-sided, multifarious, adaptable, flexible

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Practice OWAD in a conversation:

"Jim is highly adaptable, his PROTEAN talents were evident even at an early age."