byzantine
byzantine Lexical Profile
byzantine Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
(Usually capitalized) Of or relating to the ancient city of Byzantium, the Byzantine Empire, or the Eastern Orthodox Church.
"The historian spent decades translating medieval Byzantine manuscripts preserved in monastery libraries."
(Often lowercase) Excessively complicated, convoluted, or intricate, typically involving a great deal of administrative detail or underhanded political scheming.
"Navigating the agency's byzantine tax regulations required the assistance of three specialized accountants."
(Usually capitalized) Designating the distinctive style of architecture and art developed in the Byzantine Empire, characterized by masonry domes, round arches, and rich gold mosaics.
"The cathedral's interior is adorned with shimmering Byzantine mosaics depicting scenes from early Christian history."
• noun
(Usually capitalized) A native or inhabitant of ancient Byzantium or the medieval Byzantine Empire.
"Despite the fall of Rome in the west, the Byzantines continued to regard themselves as citizens of the Roman Empire."
• Rhymes for byzantine
Word Origin & Etymology
Derived from Latin Byzantinus, from Ancient Greek Byzantion (Byzantium), the ancient Greek colony on the Bosporus that Emperor Constantine rebuilt as Constantinople, capital of the Eastern Roman Empire. The figurative sense of intricate complexity and scheming arose from the notoriously elaborate bureaucracy and court politics of the medieval Byzantine court.