Definition

Noun: 1. A gold coin of the Byzantine Empire: A specific type of currency, the solidus, minted in gold and used as the standard monetary unit of the Byzantine Empire from the 4th to the 11th centuries. 2. A widely circulated medieval coin: This coin was used extensively in trade throughout Europe and the Mediterranean during the Middle Ages, even beyond the empire's borders, due to its reliable gold content.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • The merchant paid for the spices with a handful of bezants.
  • Archaeologists found a hoard of Byzantine bezants at the site.
  • In historical accounts, the ransom was often set at a certain number of bezants.

Advanced Usage

• Heraldic Term: In heraldry, a "bezant" refers to a gold roundel (a solid gold circle) on a coat of arms, representing the coin.
  • The family crest featured three red bezants on a field of gold.

Variants and Related Words

• Bezanty / Besanty (adj.): A heraldic term describing a field (background) of a shield that is semé (sprinkled) with bezants.
• Solidus (n.): The official Roman and Byzantine name for this gold coin, from which "bezant" is derived.
• Nomisma (n.): Another Greek term for the Byzantine gold coin, especially in its earlier period.

Synonyms

• Byzantine gold coin
• Solidus
• Aureus (an earlier Roman gold coin, a precursor)

Related Phrases / Terms

• "To be worth a bezant": An archaic phrase meaning to be of great value or worth.
  • His word was worth a bezant; he never broke a promise.

Noun

1. a gold coin of the Byzantine Empire; widely circulated in Europe in the Middle Ages