Byzantine (adj.)
pertaining to Byzantium (q.v., original name of Constantinople, modern Istanbul), 1770, from Late Latin Byzantinus; originally used of the style of art and architecture developed there 4c.-5c. C.E.; later in reference to the complex, devious, and intriguing character of the royal court of Constantinople (1937). As a noun from 1770. Byzantian is from 1610s.
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Definitions of Byzantine from WordNet
1
Byzantine (adj.)
of or relating to the Eastern Orthodox Church or the rites performed in it;
Byzantine (adj.)
of or relating to or characteristic of the Byzantine Empire or the ancient city of Byzantium;
Byzantine (adj.)
highly complex or intricate and occasionally devious; "Oh, what a tangled web we weave"- Sir Walter Scott;
2
Byzantine (n.)
a native or inhabitant of Byzantium or of the Byzantine Empire;
