Byzantine (redirected from Byzantines)

Byz·an·tine  (bzn-tn, -tn, b-zntn)

adj.

1.

a. Of or relating to the ancient city of Byzantium.

b. Of or relating to the Byzantine Empire.

2. Of or belonging to the style of architecture developed from the fifth century a.d. in the Byzantine Empire, characterized especially by a central dome resting on a cube formed by four round arches and their pendentives and by the extensive use of surface decoration, especially veined marble panels, low relief carving, and colored glass mosaics.

3. Of the painting and decorative style developed in the Byzantine Empire, characterized by formality of design, frontal stylized presentation of figures, rich use of color, especially gold, and generally religious subject matter.

4.

a. Of the Eastern Orthodox Church or the rites performed in it.

b. Of a Uniat church that maintains the worship of the Eastern Orthodox Church or the rites performed in it.

5. often byzantine

a. Of, relating to, or characterized by intrigue; scheming or devious: "a fine hand for Byzantine deals and cozy arrangements" (New York).

b. Highly complicated; intricate and involved: a bill to simplify the byzantine tax structure.

n.

A native or inhabitant of Byzantium or the Byzantine Empire.

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	Byzantine - a native or inhabitant of Byzantium or of the Byzantine Empire Byzantine Empire, Eastern Roman Empire, Byzantium - a continuation of the Roman Empire in the Middle East after its division in 395 Byzantium - an ancient city on the Bosporus founded by the Greeks; site of modern Istanbul; in 330 Constantine I rebuilt the city and called it Constantinople and made it his capital Asian, Asiatic - a native or inhabitant of Asia
Adj.	1.	Byzantine - of or relating to the Eastern Orthodox Church or the rites performed in it; "Byzantine monks"; "Byzantine rites"
	2.	Byzantine - of or relating to or characteristic of the Byzantine Empire or the ancient city of Byzantium
	3.	Byzantine - highly complex or intricate and occasionally devious; "the Byzantine tax structure"; "Byzantine methods for holding on to his chairmanship"; "convoluted legal language"; "convoluted reasoning"; "the plot was too involved"; "a knotty problem"; "got his way by labyrinthine maneuvering"; "Oh, what a tangled web we weave"- Sir Walter Scott; "tortuous legal procedures"; "tortuous negotiations lasting for months" tortuous, convoluted, tangled, knotty, involved complex - complicated in structure; consisting of interconnected parts; "a complex set of variations based on a simple folk melody"; "a complex mass of diverse laws and customs"