bezant

[ bez-uhnt, bih-zant ]

noun
  1. Also bezzant . the gold solidus of the Byzantine Empire, widely circulated in the Middle Ages.

  2. Also byz·ant [biz-uhnt, bih-zant] /ˈbɪz ənt, bɪˈzænt/ . (in Romanesque architecture) any of a number of disklike ornaments, similar in form to the classical patera, used especially on the faces of archivolts.

Origin of bezant

1
1150–1200; Middle English besant <Old French <Latin byzantius (nummus) “Byzantine (coin)”
  • Also bes·ant .

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British Dictionary definitions for bezant

bezant

bezzant byzant

/ (ˈbɛzənt, bɪˈzænt) /


noun
  1. a medieval Byzantine gold coin

  2. architect an ornament in the form of a flat disc

  1. heraldry a small gold circle

Origin of bezant

1
C13: from Old French besant, from Medieval Latin Bӯzantius Byzantine (coin)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012