bezant
Americannoun
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Also bezzant the gold solidus of the Byzantine Empire, widely circulated in the Middle Ages.
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Also byzant (in Romanesque architecture) any of a number of disklike ornaments, similar in form to the classical patera, used especially on the faces of archivolts.
noun
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a medieval Byzantine gold coin
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architect an ornament in the form of a flat disc
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heraldry a small gold circle
Etymology
Origin of bezant
1150–1200; Middle English besant < Old French < Latin byzantius (nummus) “Byzantine (coin)”
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Wherefore the liang in relation to gold would be worth 120_d._ or 10_s._, a little over the Venetian ducat and somewhat less than the bezant or dínár.
From The Travels of Marco Polo — Volume 1 by Yule, Henry
There were moneys of various nations, even to the Spanish pistole and Turkish bezant.
From Traditions of Lancashire, Volume 2 by Roby, John
"A bezant, Master Falconer!—By my faith, you are no bold bodesman! nevertheless, double your offer, and I will consider it."
From The Betrothed by Scott, Walter, Sir
And all the while they are so light that ten bezants' worth does not weigh one golden bezant.
From The Travels of Marco Polo — Volume 1 by Yule, Henry
After they had used up everything they could find, a mere piece of bread cost a bezant.
From The Deeds of God Through the Franks by Levine, Robert
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
