protea

British  

/ ˌprəʊtɪˈeɪʃəs, ˈprəʊtɪə /

noun

1. any shrub or small tree of the genus Protea, of tropical and southern Africa, having flowers with coloured bracts arranged in showy heads: family Proteaceae

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Other Word Forms

• proteaceous adjective

Etymology

Origin of protea

C20: from New Latin, from _Proteus , referring to the large number of different forms of the plant

Example Sentences

“These protea plants go back in the fossil record like 300 million years,” Hartman said.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 13, 2026

Guinea fowl squawk around the sculpture garden, native flowers protea and strelitzia light up the flowerbeds, attracting colourful sugarbirds and sunbirds.

From The Guardian • Aug. 16, 2018

At the lower altitudes pass lavender farms and protea fields and farmhouses serving great organic breakfasts on terraces overlooking the radiant rolling countryside.

From Washington Times • Feb. 29, 2016

With a distinctly South African air, it has crisp white and gray interiors, faux kudu horns doubling as hat hooks, bulbous vases heaped with protea flowers, and Africology products in the bathrooms.

From New York Times • Oct. 21, 2015

He was forced to hire a pair of bodyguards to protea him from his own excesses.

From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende