bezant
[ bez-uhnt, bih-zant ]
/ ˈbɛz ənt, bɪˈzænt /
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. 2020
Example sentences from the Web for bezant
At 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 BartonA 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 ChaucerThere 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
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