protean

the word protean is an eponym, directly derived from the name of the ancient greek sea deity proteus. in homeric and later mythology, proteus was an old man of the sea who possessed the gift of prophecy but would avoid answering questions by rapidly changing his shape. this defining characteristic of constant and effortless transformation was borrowed into english in the late 16th century. the suffix -an, of latin origin via french, was attached to form an adjective meaning "of or like proteus." thus, the literal meaning "pertaining to proteus" evolved into the modern abstract sense of being versatile, mutable, and capable of assuming many forms.

Structure: prote (change) + an (adjective suffix) prote is derived from the name of the greek sea-god proteus, from greek prōteus, known for his ability to change shape. the suffix -an is a latin-derived adjective-forming suffix meaning "pertaining to" or "of the nature of".