bezant
[ bez-uhnt, bih-zant ]
/ ˈbɛz ənt, bɪˈzænt /
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noun
Also bez·zant . 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.
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Also bes·ant .
Origin of bezant
1150–1200; Middle English besant <Old French <Latin byzantius (nummus) “Byzantine (coin)”
Words nearby bezant
beyond the pale, beyond the shadow of a doubt, Beyrouth, Beza, Bezaleel, bezant, bez antler, bezel, Béziers, bezique, bezoar
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
How to use bezant in a sentence
A bezant was a gold coin, originally struck at Byzantium, whence the name.
Chaucer's Works, Volume 1 (of 7) -- Romaunt of the Rose; Minor Poems|Geoffrey ChaucerAt Samara we find Mr. Bezant, one of our consignees, just recovering from the typhus which was contracted in his relief work.
The Red Cross in Peace and War|Clara BartonThere were moneys of various nations, even to the Spanish pistole and Turkish bezant.
She made no reply, but took from a pocket a bezant, and contrived to throw its yellow gleam in the sentinel's eyes.
The Prince of India, Volume II|Lew. Wallace
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
Word Origin for bezant
C13: 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
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