Dictionary

1Byzantine

adjective Byz·an·tine \ˈbi-zən-ˌtēn, ˈbī-, -ˌtīn; bə-ˈzan-ˌ, bī-ˈ\

Definition of BYZANTINE

1
:  of, relating to, or characteristic of the ancient city of Byzantium
2
:  of, relating to, or having the characteristics of a style of architecture developed in the Byzantine Empire especially in the fifth and sixth centuries featuring the dome carried on pendentives over a square and incrustation with marble veneering and with colored mosaics on grounds of gold
3
:  of or relating to the churches using a traditional Greek rite and subject to Eastern canon law
4
often not capitalized
a :  of, relating to, or characterized by a devious and usually surreptitious manner of operation <a Byzantine power struggle>
b :  intricately involved :  labyrinthine <rules of Byzantine complexity>
ADVERTISEMENT

First Known Use of BYZANTINE

1651

Other Archaeology Terms

Attic, Paleolithic, cairn, core, flint, horizon, neolithic, shard, stratum

2Byzantine

noun

Definition of BYZANTINE

:  a native or inhabitant of Byzantium

First Known Use of BYZANTINE

1651

Browse

4 ENTRIES FOUND:
Next Word in the Dictionary: Byzantine chantPrevious Word in the Dictionary: ByzantianAll Words Near: Byzantine
ADVERTISEMENT
How to use a word that (literally) drives some people nuts.
Test your vocab with our fun, fast game
Ailurophobia, and 9 other unusual fears