byzantine
pronunciation
How to pronounce byzantine in British English:
UK [baɪˈzæntaɪn; bɪˈzæntaɪn; baɪˈzæntiːn; bɪˈzæntiːn]
How to pronounce byzantine in American English:
US [ ˈbɪzəntiːn]
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- Noun:
- a native or inhabitant of Byzantium or of the Byzantine Empire
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- Adjective:
- of or relating to the Eastern Orthodox Church or the rites performed in it
- of or relating to or characteristic of the Byzantine Empire or the ancient city of Byzantium
- highly involved or intricate
- characterized by elaborate scheming and intrigue; devious
Word Origin
- Byzantine (adj.)
- 1770, from Latin Byzantinus (see Byzantium); originally used of art style; later in reference to the complex, devious, and intriguing character of the royal court of Constantinople (1937). As a noun from 1770.
Example
- 1. The state 's byzantine tax system , says gerald parsky , a private-equity investor .
- 2. In other words , america 's byzantine tax system does hardly anything to redistribute income .
- 3. Whatever the source of new revenue , america 's byzantine funding system will remain an obstacle to improved planning .
- 4. Lax regulation failed to keep tabs on wall street 's excessive risk-taking and byzantine financial products .
- 5. Seventeen months after the uprising that toppled mr mubarak , the most populous arab country remains tangled in a web of rumour , mistrust and byzantine legal convolutions .