bezant
[ bez-uhnt, bih-zant ]
noun
Also bezzant . the gold solidus of the Byzantine Empire, widely circulated in the Middle Ages.
Also byz·ant [biz-uhnt, bih-zant] /ˈbɪz ənt, bɪˈzænt/ . (in Romanesque architecture) any of a number of disklike ornaments, similar in form to the classical patera, used especially on the faces of archivolts.
Origin of bezant
11150–1200; Middle English besant <Old French <Latin byzantius (nummus) “Byzantine (coin)”
- Also bes·ant .
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
British Dictionary definitions for bezant
bezant
bezzant byzant
/ (ˈbɛzənt, bɪˈzænt) /
noun
a medieval Byzantine gold coin
architect an ornament in the form of a flat disc
heraldry a small gold circle
Origin of bezant
1C13: from Old French besant, from Medieval Latin Bӯzantius Byzantine (coin)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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