byzantine

comparative more byzantine · superlative most byzantine

1. Alternative letter-case form of Byzantine (figurative senses only).

   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

plural byzantines

1. historicalA byzant (coin).

comparative more Byzantine · superlative most Byzantine · alternative byzantine · alternative Byzantian · alternative Byzantinan · alternative obsolete Bizantian · alternative obsolete Bizantine

1. Of or pertaining to Byzantium.
2. historyBelonging to the civilization of the Eastern Roman Empire between 331, when its capital was moved to Constantinople, and 1453, when that capital was conquered by the Turks and ultimately renamed Istanbul.
3. architectureOf a style of architecture prevalent in the Eastern Empire down to 1453, marked by the round arch springing from columns or piers, the dome supported upon pendentives, capitals elaborately sculptured, mosaic or other encrustations, etc.
4. figurativelylowercaseoftenOverly complex or intricate, especially of bureaucracy.

   a Byzantine system of regulations

   2 more examples

   The byzantine, meandering processes of Icann are engineered in a way that avoids any dissent surfacing, all under the reassuring guise of consensus.

   2014 July 1, Julia Powles, “The byzantine, meandering discussion on the future of the internet”, in The Guardian

   Those following what has been dubbed “Pestminster” may nevertheless struggle to keep up with the Byzantine internal reporting structures, the range of accusations being levied and the sheer number of MPs involved.

   2017 November 3, Julia Rampen, “A week in Pestminster”, in New Statesman

5. figurativelylowercaseoftenRigid, unceasing, inflexible.

   Novelists, poets, and film directors vied with one another in Byzantine adulation of Stalin: this reached its peak in the post-war years, but was already highly developed in the period we are considering.

   1978 [1976], Leszek Kołakowski, translated by P[aul] S[teven] Falla, Main Currents of Marxism, volume III: The Breakdown, Oxford: Clarendon Press, translation of Główne nurty marksizmu: rozkład (in Polish), →ISBN, →OCLC, page 92

6. figurativelylowercaseoftenDevious and stealthy.

   I never went through a time when more people told me not to trust other people on an issue. Perhaps they were all right. The internal politics were byzantine, much of it played out in the media.

   2020 June 23, John Bolton, The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir, New York, N.Y.: Simon & Schuster, →ISBN, page 239

   1 more example

   It’s also important to note that this analysis deals solely with intrinsic failure, or the odds of a conspiracy being exposed intentionally or accidentally by actors involved—extrinsic analysis by non-participants would also increase the odds of detection, rendering such Byzantine cover-ups far more likely to fail.

   2016 January 26, David Robert Grimes, “On the Viability of Conspiratorial Beliefs”, in PLOS One, volume 11, number 1, page 9

7. Eastern OrthodoxyCatholicismOf or relating to the Byzantine Rite or any of the many Eastern Orthodox churches and Greek Catholic churches that use this rite for their liturgical celebrations.

   This was the crowning incident of our visit, and I wondered with what Byzantine ritual the Anointed One fresh from the exercise of his priestly functions would be received among his women.

   1920 October, Edith Wharton, In Morocco, New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, page 180

   Synonyms: Byzantiac

plural Byzantines · alternative byzantine · alternative Byzantian · alternative Byzantinan · alternative obsolete Bizantian · alternative obsolete Bizantine

1. countablehistoricaluncountableA native of Byzantium (modern-day Istanbul) or of the Byzantine empire
2. alternativecountableuncountablehobbiesAlternative form of byzantine (coin)
3. countableuncountableA dark, metallic shade of violet.