Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun Architecture A flat disk used as an ornament.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A gold coin (the proper name of which was solidus) issued by the emperors at Constantinople in the middle ages.
- noun In heraldry, a small circle or; a gold roundel. It is a common bearing, and is supposed to have originated from the coins of Constantinople, assumed as bearings by crusaders.
- noun Also spelled
besant .
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun A gold coin of Byzantium or Constantinople, varying in weight and value, usually (those current in England) between a sovereign and a half sovereign. There were also white or silver bezants.
- noun (Her.) A circle in or, i. e., gold, representing the gold coin called
bezant . - noun A decoration of a flat surface, as of a band or belt, representing circular disks lapping one upon another.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun history A
coin made of gold or silver, minted at Byzantium and used in currency throughout mediaeval Europe. - noun heraldry The heraldic representation of a gold coin.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a gold coin of the Byzantine Empire; widely circulated in Europe in the Middle Ages
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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The excellence of Byzantine administration—hardly Byzantine at all by our usage—is nowhere clearer than in the power of the Byzantine standard gold coin, the solidus known as the bezant in medieval Europe.
The Glories of Byzantium Judith Herrin 2011
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A small loaf of bread cost a bezant of gold, and of the price of wine I shall not speak; there was not even a jug of it.
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It gave us the Creeds, the bezant and the fork, it introduced us to both silk and caviar, which was once a poor people's food.
Review of Byzantium: The Surprising Life of a Medieval Empire, by Judith Herrin 2007
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It gave us the Creeds, the bezant and the fork, it introduced us to both silk and caviar, which was once a poor people's food.
Archive 2007-11-01 2007
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If I had even half a bezant for every newcomer who's dropped o 'the heat stroke, then I'd be a rich man.'
The Falcons of Montabard Chadwick, Elizabeth 2004
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Sabin presented her with a gold bezant as a symbol of his intention to provide for her, and a wedding ring of African gold.
The Falcons of Montabard Chadwick, Elizabeth 2004
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Cadoc laughed, clapped Rufus on the back, and slipped a bezant into his single palm.
The Boat of a Million Years Anderson, Poul, 1926- 1989
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Cadoc slipped the doorman a golden bezant-a little extravagant, perhaps, but impressiveness might help his chances.
The Boat of a Million Years Anderson, Poul, 1926- 1989
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Cadoc laughed, clapped Rufus on the back, and slipped a bezant into his single palm.
The Boat of a Million Years Anderson, Poul, 1926- 1988
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Cadoc slipped the doorman a golden bezant-a little extravagant, perhaps, but impressiveness might help his chances.
The Boat of a Million Years Anderson, Poul, 1926- 1988
chained_bear commented on the word bezant
Usage note in comment on carica.
November 28, 2017