Definition of
Byzantine
- (noun, person) a native or inhabitant of Byzantium or of the Byzantine Empire
- (adj, all) highly complex or intricate and occasionally devious
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
tortuous legal procedures
tortuous negotiations lasting for months - (adj, pert) of or relating to or characteristic of the Byzantine Empire or the ancient city of Byzantium
- (adj, pert) of or relating to the Eastern Orthodox Church or the rites performed in it
Byzantine rites
via WordNet, Princeton University
Synonyms of Byzantine
Origin of the word Byzantine
- 1590s, from L. Byzantinus (see Byzantium); originally used of art style; later in reference to the complex, devious, and intriguing character of the royal court of Constantinople. more
via Online Etymology Dictionary, ©2001 Douglas Harper
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