English 'protein' was coined in 1838 by Berzelius from Greek 'prōteîos' (of the first rank), from 'prôtos' (first), from PIE *preh₂- (before) — naming these molecules as the primary substances of life.
Any of a class of large, complex molecules composed of amino acid chains, essential for the structure, function, and regulation of the body's tissues and organs.
Coined in 1838 by the Dutch chemist Gerardus Johannes Mulder, at the suggestion of Swedish chemist Jöns Jacob Berzelius. Berzelius proposed deriving the name from Greek prōteîos (πρωτεῖος, of the first rank, holding first place, primary), from prōtos (πρῶτος, first), from PIE *per- (forward, in front, first). The rationale was that Berzelius considered these nitrogen-rich biological substances to be the primary, most essential class of organic compounds — the substances that come first in the chemistry of life. The word entered English
Berzelius named proteins after the Greek sea-god Proteus, who could change his shape at will — or so the story is often told. In fact, Berzelius explicitly derived the name from 'prōteîos' (of the first rank), not from Proteus. But the coincidence is apt: proteins are indeed shape-shifting molecules whose function depends on their three-dimensional folding.