byzantine

What it means

1. historicalA byzant (coin).

In a sentence

The result is a byzantine system of government directed by 160 ministers, a structure that absorbs 50 percent of Bosnia’s gross domestic product of $15 billion, according to the World Bank.

2008, Dan Bilefsky, “Fears of New Ethnic Conflict in Bosnia”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 09 Nov 2020

Where it comes from

1. Proto-Indo-European*bʰuǵ-
2. Thracian*būzas
3. Ancient GreekΒῡ́ζᾱς (Bū́zās)
4. Ancient GreekΒῡζᾰ́ντῐον (Būzắntĭon)
5. LatinBȳzantium
6. Late Latinbȳzantīnus
7. EnglishByzantine

Borrowed from Late Latin bȳzantīnus, from Bȳzantium, from Ancient Greek Βυζάντιον (Buzántion). The figurative senses evoke the reputation for palace intrigue of the Byzantine imperial court.