Byzantine

[ biz-uhn-teen, -tahyn, bahy-zuhn-, bih-zan-tin ]

adjective

1. of or relating to Byzantium.
2. of or relating to the Byzantine Empire.
3. noting or pertaining to the architecture of the Byzantine Empire and to architecture influenced by or imitating it: characterized by masonry construction, round arches, impost blocks, low domes on pendentives, the presence of fine, spiky foliage patterns in low relief on stone capitals and moldings, and the use of frescoes, mosaics, and revetments of fine stone to cover whole interiors.
4. Fine Arts. pertaining to or designating the style of the fine or decorative arts developed and elaborated in the Byzantine Empire and its provinces: characterized chiefly by an ecclesiastically prescribed iconography, highly formal structure, severe confinement of pictorial space to a shallow depth, and the use of rich, often sumptuous color.
5. (sometimes lowercase) complex or intricate:

   a deal requiring Byzantine financing.

6. (sometimes lowercase) characterized by elaborate scheming and intrigue, especially for the gaining of political power or favor:

   Byzantine methods for holding on to his chairmanship.

7. of or relating to the Byzantine Church.

noun

1. a native or inhabitant of Byzantium.

Byzantine

/ baɪ-; baɪ-; bɪˈzænˌtaɪn; bɪˈzæntaɪˌnɪzəm; -ˌtaɪn; -tiː; -ˌtiːn; ˈbɪzəntiːˌnɪzəm; ˈbɪzənˌtiːn; -taɪ- /

adjective

1. of, characteristic of, or relating to Byzantium or the Byzantine Empire
2. of, relating to, or characterizing the Orthodox Church or its rites and liturgy
3. of or relating to the highly coloured stylized form of religious art developed in the Byzantine Empire
4. of or relating to the style of architecture developed in the Byzantine Empire, characterized by massive domes with square bases, rounded arches, spires and minarets, and the extensive use of mosaics
5. denoting the Medieval Greek spoken in the Byzantine Empire
6. (of attitudes, etc) inflexible or complicated

noun

1. an inhabitant of Byzantium

Derived Forms

• Byzantinism, noun

Other Words From

• pre-Byzan·tine adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of Byzantine¹

1590–1600; < Late Latin Bȳzantīnus of Byzantium; -ine ¹

Example Sentences

For the rest of us—and for those who don't want to put up with the Byzantine procedures necessary to install Microsoft 365 apps on Remote Desktop Servers—there's Office 2019 now, and there will be Office 2021 later this year.

From Ars Technica

Washington is a Byzantine place, where protocol and permission dictate so much.

From Time

The assumption is that it was rarely read by Byzantine subjects.

From Time

Historians have often downplayed the political and cultural role of the Secret History in Byzantine society.

From Time

There are many ways for the system to go awry, but usually it’s because the administrative agency, the applicant, the employer or some combination of them made a mistake somewhere in the Byzantine claims process.

From ProPublica

Rather, it precipitated a month-long diplomatic crisis of byzantine complexity that exposed deeper, long-term sources of conflict.

From The Daily Beast

Yalta was great for strolls along the sea during the Byzantine, Ottoman and Russian empires.

From The Daily Beast

A leitmotif on journalism threads through this often-byzantine narrative.

From The Daily Beast

But the vividly painted remains are still considered by UNESCO to be one of the best examples of post-iconoclastic Byzantine art.

From The Daily Beast

American multinational companies may be best known today for their byzantine strategies to minimize their U.S. taxes.

From The Daily Beast

The schism was not confined to the narrow limits of the Byzantine empire.

From Project Gutenberg

It was reserved for Finlay to depict, with greater knowledge and a juster perception, the lights and shades of Byzantine history.

From Project Gutenberg

The corrupt Gothic of Venice furnishes us with a curious instance of the one, and the corrupt Byzantine of the other.

From Project Gutenberg

At Verona it is, indeed, less Byzantine, but possesses a character of richness and tenderness almost peculiar to that city.

From Project Gutenberg

Now observe, the old Byzantine mosaicist begins his work at enormous disadvantage.

From Project Gutenberg