Byzantine


Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
Byzantine /bɪˈzantʌɪn, bʌɪ-/
adjective
  • 1 relating to Byzantium (later called Constantinople, now Istanbul), the Byzantine Empire, or the Eastern Orthodox Church.

    ■ of a rich and highly decorated artistic and architectural style which developed in the Byzantine Empire and spread to Italy, Russia, and elsewhere.

  • 2 excessively complicated and detailed.

    ■ characterized by deviousness or underhand methods.

noun a citizen of Byzantium or the Byzantine Empire.
– derivatives
Byzantinism /bɪˈzantɪnɪz(ə)m, bʌɪ-/ noun,
Byzantinist noun.
'Byzantine' also found in these Oxford entries:

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