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Byzantine, a Word for History Buffs
Today, the city that lies on the Bosporus Strait in Turkey is named Istanbul, but it was once known as Constantinople (a name given to it when it became the capital of the Byzantine Empire, aka the eastern half of the Roman Empire), and in ancient times, it was called Byzantium. Its history is legendary—filled with mystics, wars, and political infighting—and over time the word Byzantine (from the Late Latin word Byzantinus, the name for a native of Byzantium) became synonymous in English with anything characteristic of the city or empire, from architecture to intrigue. The figurative sense used to describe that which is intricately involved and not easily understood first appeared in the early 20th century.
Examples of Byzantine in a Sentence
Helen Iatrou, AFAR Media, 29 May 2025
Notre-Dame de la Garde, the basilica that towers over Marseille with its golden Madonna, has an ornate Byzantine interior and panoramic views of the city.
—Lily Radziemski, New York Times, 29 May 2025
In 1986, a tractor harrow unearthed pieces of a Byzantine bucket.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 25 May 2025
Five sketches by New York caricaturist Al Hirschfeld are also among the lots, as are pre-Colombian pottery pieces, turn-of-the century weather vanes, and a Byzantine processional cross.
—Francesca Aton For Artnews, Robb Report, 21 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for Byzantine
Cite this Entry
“Byzantine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Byzantine. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Byzantine
1 of 2 noun
bə-ˈzan-
Byzantine
2 of 2 adjective
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