Byzantine

en-adj

Byzantine (comparative more Byzantine, superlative most Byzantine)

more Byzantine (comparative)
most Byzantine (superlative)

From Late Latin byzantinus, itself from Byzantium. The metaphorical senses evoke the reputation for palace intrigue of the Byzantium imperial court.

Eastern Roman Empire
Eastern Roman Empire

(history) Belonging 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.

بِيزَنْطِيّ

belonging to the civilisation of the Eastern-Roman empire


theme

-iːmi (for the sense dealing with the Byzantine empire only)

From Middle English teme, from Old French teme, tesme (French thème), from Latin thema, from Ancient Greek θέμα (théma), from τίθημι (títhēmi, “I put, place”), reduplicative from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- (“to put, place, do”) (whence also English do). Doublet of thema.

Theme

computing: collection of color schemes, sounds, artwork etc.

(linguistics) Topic, what is generally being talked about.

aihe

linguistics: topic, what is generally being talked about


para

Borrowed from Serbo-Croatian pàra/па̀ра, from Ottoman Turkish پاره (pare, para), from Persian پاره (pâre).

She managed things with so much economy that she was enabled to save two paras every day, out of the piastre which he gave her.

1854, Bayard Taylor, A Journey to Central Africa; or, Life and Landscapes from Egypt...:

(historical) A former subunit of currency in several countries in the Ottoman/Turkish and Yugoslav regions.


despot

From Middle French despote, from Old French despote, from Medieval Latin despota, from Ancient Greek δεσπότης (despótēs, “lord, master, owner”). Cognate with Sanskrit दम्पति (dámpati).

(historical) A title awarded to senior members of the imperial family in the late Byzantine Empire, and claimed by various independent or semi-autonomous rulers in the Balkans (12th to 15th centuries)


hexagram

/ˈhɛksəɡɹæm/

A hollow six-pointed star formed by overlapping two equilateral triangles.

Any of the 64 sets of solid and broken lines, formed by pairs of trigrams, used for divination in the I Ching.

A large silver coin minted during the Byzantine Empire.


Constantinople

From Middle English Constantinople, ultimately from Late Latin Constantinopolis, from Ancient Greek Κωνσταντινούπολις (Kōnstantinoúpolis, “City of Constantine”), after Roman emperor Flavius Valerius Aurelius Constantinus (also known as Constantine I, St. Constantine, and/or Constantine the Great).

Κωνσταντινούπολις

Name of present-day Istanbul from 330–1930 C.E.. Previously known as Byzantium.

കോണ്സ്റ്റാന്റിനോപ്പിള്

kōṇsṟṟānṟinōppiḷŭ


basileus

Borrowed from Ancient Greek βασιλεύς (basileús, “chief, king”).

bor

For two centuries its towers and domes were to rise in the heavens, drawing the attention of Emperors and Basilei, of Popes and Patriarchs.

Although portrayals of basileis of the eleventh century wearing the loros in the traditional manner are not lacking, I cannot cite a Byzantine example of metropolitan origin later than 1100.

1990, Ernst Kitzinger, The Mosaics of St. Mary’s of the Admiral in Palermo, Washington, D.C.: Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection, →ISBN, page 192:

The revitalization of the Byzantine Empire during the reigns of the energetic and capable basilei of the Comnens dynasty: Alexios I (1081-1118), John II (1118-1143) and Manuel (1143-1180), and the wars with a Rum Sultanate troubled by dynastic fights drastically diminished its possessions in Anatolia.

2003, Victor Spinei, The Great Migrations in the East and South East of Europe from the Ninth to the Thirteenth Century, Romanian Cultural Institute, →ISBN, page 193:

It is quite easy to establish the identity of these “Roman princes” who reoccupied Pannonia after Attila’s death: they were the basilei from Constantinople who, after the fall of the Western Roman Empire, claimed to be the only successors of the Caesars (around the turn of the 9ᵗʰ century they began to call themselves “basilei of the Romans”—“basileis ton Romanon” or “Romaion”).

2007, Transylvanian Review, volume 16, Romanian Cultural Foundation, page 16:

In our third example, the tyrant Nabis usurped power from the traditional, dual basileis of Sparta, then had them executed.

2017, Michael Martin, City of the Sun: Development and Popular Resistance in the Pre-Modern West, New York, N.Y.: Algora Publishing, →ISBN, page 64:

The basileis of the Iron Age were now replaced with various appointed and elected magistrates.

2020, David B. Small, “Institutional Evolution of Ancient Greece”, in Dmitri M[ikhailovich] Bondarenko, Stephen A. Kowalewski, David B. Small, editors, The Evolution of Social Institutions: Interdisciplinary Perspectives (World-Systems Evolution and Global Futures), Springer Nature, →ISBN, page 274:

It would probably be worth seeking a possible connection-and-overlay between the name of one of the Byzantine basilei of the 9th century and the godfather of Boris I, Michael III, and that of the Bulgarian ruler Boris-Michael himself, who also lived in that age.

2020, Tsvetelin Stepanov, translated by Daria Manova, Waiting for the End of the World: European Dimensions, 950–1200 (East Central and Eastern Europe in the Middle Ages, 450–1450; 57), Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, page 251:

“Peter and Maria basilei of Bugaria,” “Peter and Maria in Christ autocrats of the Bulgarians,” and “Peter and Maria in Christ august autocrats and basilei.”

2023, Christian Raffensperger, Rulers and Rulership in the Arc of Medieval Europe, 1000-1200, Abingdon, Oxon, New York, N.Y.: Routledge, →ISBN:


Blues

In reference to the ancient Roman and medieval Byzantine racing faction, a calque of Latin venetī (“Sea-Blues”) or factio veneta (“the sea-blue faction”) and Byzantine Greek Βένετοι (Bénetoi, “Blues”).

(informal) Any of several sports teams whose uniform is predominantly blue, such as:


Barca

From Latin Barca, from Punic 𐤁𐤓𐤒 (Baraq), from Phoenician 𐤁𐤓𐤒 (baraq, “lightning”), ultimately from Proto-Semitic *baraḳ-.

Hamilcar Barca; Hannibal Barca

A surname from Punic, particularly (historical) a dynasty of Carthaginian leaders.


Barca

From Latin Barca, from Ancient Greek Βάρκη (Bárkē), from the local tribe of the Barraci.

(historical) Former name of Marj, a city in Libya.


Barca

2000 April 19, BBC Online, "Football News":

There's only one Barca

Chelsea and Barca clash once again

Giovani committed to Barca

association football
association football

(informal, soccer) FC Barcelona, a prominent Spanish association football club.


Ottoman

From Middle French Ottoman, from Medieval Latin Ottomanus, from Ottoman Turkish عثمان (osman), from the Arabic personal name عُثْمَان (ʕuṯmān). Osman is the Turkish spelling of the male Arabic given name Uthman, therefore the Ottoman Empire is sometimes referred to as the Osman Empire, Osmanic Empire, or Osmanian Empire, after Osman I.


palatine

From late Middle English palatyne, from Old French palatin, from Medieval Latin palātīnus (“relating to the palace”), from palātium (“palace”) + -īnus (“-ine”, adjectival suffix). Doublet of paladin.

af

Of or relating to a palace especially of a Roman or Holy Roman Emperor.


palatine

A feudal lord (ellipsis of count palatine.) or a bishop possessing palatine powers.

A palace official, especially in an imperial palace.

(historical) Ellipsis of county palatine.


palatine

Borrowing from French palatin, from New Latin palātīnus, from palātum (“the palate”) + -īnus (“-ine”, adjectival suffix); equivalent to palate + -ine.


Ottoman Empire

/ˈɒtəmən ˈɛmpaɪə/

/ˈɑtəmən ˈɛmpaɪɹ/

Ottoman, from Middle French Ottoman, from post-classical Latin Ottomanus, from Ottoman Turkish عثمان (osman), from Arabic personal name عُثْمَان (ʕuṯmān) + Empire. As Osman is the Turkish spelling of that male Arabic given name ʿUṯmān, the Ottoman Empire is sometimes referred to as the Osman Empire, Osmanic Empire, or Osmanian Empire. Over the centuries the Ottoman Empire existed, it was commonly referred to as Turkey.

Under their fluctuating rule an Ottoman Empire was indeed to survive, with varying fortunes, for a further three and a half centuries. But it was an empire in the continual throes of a decline which, despite periods of respite and glimpses of momentary recovery, was to prove irreversible.

1979, Lord Kinross, The Ottoman Centuries: the Rise and Fall of the Turkish Empire, page 616:

It does not seem very convincing to view a major world empire, with the most modern arms at its disposal, as merely the helpless victim of circumstances beyond its control. Even less attractive are "stage theories," which assume that at a given point in time the Ottoman Empire, its economy included, passed from the stage of "florescence" into that of "decay."

1997, Suraıya Faroqhı, Bruce McGowan, Donald Quataert, Şevket Pamuk, with Halil İnalcık as editor, An Economic and Social History of the Ottoman Empire: Volume Two, 1600-1914, page 470

Most of the textbooks consider the period of Murad III (1574-1595) and particularly the murder of the Grand Vizier Sokullu Mehmed Pasha in 1579 as the beginning of the internal decay of the Ottoman Empire. The debacle of Vienna in 1683 the following defeats in the hands of the Holy League and the subsequent Treaty of Karlowitz in 1699 are mostly dealt with in a relatively detailed way, [...]

2001, Selçuk Akşin Somel, The modernization of public education in the Ottoman Empire, 1839-1908, page 198:

This was a factor in one of the major long-term weaknesses of the Ottoman Empire, namely the relatively small size of its Turkish population, which limited its ability to colonize conquered regions. [...] In no meaningful sense was Anatolia the empire's metropolis. This might seem strange to Europeans, who are and always were much inclined to use the words Ottoman and Turkish interchangeably when describing the empire.

2002, Dominic Lieven, Empire: The Russian Empire and Its Rivals, page 130:

(historical) A large Turkish empire which began as a Turkish sultanate centered in modern Turkey; founded in the late 13th century, it lasted until the end of World War I.


akçe

Borrowed from Ottoman Turkish آقچه (akça, akçe) (compare Turkish akçe).

Worth the sum of two thousand two hundred akches, this is all a final gift to the said maiden if he fails to marry her within the appointed period of time.

1988, Milorad Pavić, translated by Christina Pribićević-Zorić, Dictionary of the Khazars, Vintage, published 1989, page 209:

The corvée is an archaic feature, absent from later statutes, but the notion that 50 akçes was the rate of compensation due for loss of tithes lingered.

2011, Christine Woodhead, editor, The Ottoman World:

A silver coin minted during the Ottoman Empire, valued at one-third of a para.


Ancyra

(historical) The capital city of Galatia


Byzantine Empire

(historical) The predominantly Greek-speaking continuation of the Roman Empire during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages with its capital city being Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul), originally known as Byzantium, which fell in 1453.

Perandoria Bizantine

Greek-speaking empire in the Eastern Mediterranean region


Eastern Orthodox Church

en-proper noun

Eastern Orthodox Church (plural Eastern Orthodox Churches)

Greek Orthodox Church
Greek Orthodox Church

Russian Orthodox Church
Russian Orthodox Church

One of the major branches of Christianity; it comprises the Greek Orthodox Church, the Russian Orthodox Church and other patriarchates.


byzant

“Gramercy! good fellow,” cried Prince John, “thou pleasest me — Here, Isaac, lend me a handful of byzants.”


bezant

From Middle English besaunt, from Old French bezant, nominative bezanz, from Latin byzantius (“of Byzantium”).

(history) A coin made of gold or silver, minted at Byzantium and used in currency throughout mediaeval Europe.


Greek fire

“There is yet spirit in him,” said Malvoisin apart to Mont–Fitchet, “were it well directed — but, like the Greek fire, it burns whatever approaches it.”

(historical) A highly flammable substance of unknown composition first used by the Greeks of Constantinople in the 7th century C.E. to set fire to enemy ships, buildings etc.


Byzantium

From Latin Bȳzantium, from Ancient Greek Βῡζᾰ́ντῐον (Būzántion), named after its legendary founder, Byzas.

(historical, by extension) The Byzantine Empire.


ferula

Borrowed from Latin ferula (“giant fennel”), whose stalks were once used in punishing schoolboys. Doublet of ferule.

bor+

(obsolete) The imperial sceptre in the Byzantine Empire.


exarch

Borrowed from Ecclesiastical Latin exarchus.

(historical) In the Byzantine Empire, a governor of a distant province.


nobilissimus

Changing my manner somewhat, I began with gentle censure of the Nobilissimus.

1979. Michael Psellus. Fourteen Byzantine Rulers..., p. 146

A senior title of nobility conferred on members of the Roman and Byzantine imperial families.


logothete

From Medieval Latin logotheta, from Ancient Greek λογοθέτης (logothétēs, “auditor of accounts”), from λόγος (lógos, “account”) + stem of τιθέναι (tithénai, “set”) + -της (-tēs) agent suffix.

der

Bardas rode to the imperial pavilion, where he seated himself next to his nephew and listened with every show of attention while one of the Logothetes read out the morning report.

1997, John Julius Norwich, A Short History of Byzantium, Penguin, published 1998, page 149:

(historical) Any of various state officials or functionaries in the Byzantine Empire.

լոգոթետ

any of various state officials or functionaries in the Byzantine Empire


pronoia

en-noun

pronoia (countable and uncountable, plural pronoiae or pronoiai or pronoias)

pronoiae (plural)
pronoiai (plural)
pronoias (plural)

Borrowed from Ancient Greek πρόνοιᾰ (prónoia, “foreknowledge, foresight; providence; form of land grant”), from πρόνοος (prónoos, “careful, prudent”) + -ῐᾰ (-ia, suffix forming nouns). πρόνοος is derived from προ- (pro-, prefix indicating a coming forth) + νόος (nóos, “the mind; act of the mind”). The English word is cognate with Latin pronoea (“providence”).
The plural form pronoiae is probably a modification of Latin pronoeae, while pronoiai is from Ancient Greek πρόνοιαι (prónoiai).

der

Unlike fiefs, pronoiai were granted only by the emperor, and so they played no role in producing the subinfeudation and the hierarchical social and political structure characteristic of Western feudalism. Pronoia was a fiscal and administrative institution; the fief territorial and personal. The grant of a pronoia was primarily a grant of revenue expressed as a monetary sum (the posotes), not in terms of a quantity of property.

1992, Mark C. Bartusis, “Smallholding and Pronoia Soldiers and Their Financing”, in Ruth Mazo Karras, editor, The Late Byzantine Army: Arms and Society, 1204–1453 (The Middle Ages Series), Philadelphia, Pa.: University of Pennsylvania Press, →ISBN, part 2 (The Army as Institution), page 183:

By 1270 Michael VIII had issued charters to two monasteries in eastern Thessaly near the Gulf of Volos (Makrinitisa and Neopetra), showing he had acquired that region. From these years imperial grants of pronoias and of tax exemptions to various notables of east Thessaly begin appearing. Thus probably in 1267/68 the Byzantines regained some or all of Thessaly's east coast.

1987, John V[an] A[ntwerp] Fine, Jr., “The Second Half of the Thirteenth Century”, in The Late Medieval Balkans: A Critical Survey from the Late Twelfth Century to the Ottoman Conquest, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan Press, →ISBN, page 170:

The economic composition of the pronoia belonging to a heavy cavalryman in the fourteenth century, such as those who served in the mega allagion (regiment) of Thessalonike in the fourteenth century, is known to us from some of the praktika of pronoia holders that have survived. […] According to the praktikon, the revenue of the pronoiarios consisted of two parts. The first was the oikoumenon, that is, the sum of all the personal taxes paid to the pronoia holder by his paroikoi resident on the pronoia, depending on the means of production at the disposal of each paroikos. […] The second part consisted of secondary taxes and rights (e.g., on fishing, the ennomion, and the tax on flax-retting units), but above all of land, on which, theoretically, the full tax was payable[…].

2002, Nicolas Oikonomides, “The Role of the Byzantine State in the Economy”, in John Solman, transl., edited by Angeliki E. Laiou, The Economic History of Byzantium: From the Seventh through the Fifteenth Century, volume 3, Washington, D.C.: Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection, →ISBN, part 5 (Economic Institutions and the State), pages 1045–1046:

(historical, Byzantine Empire) An imperial grant to an individual of temporary fiscal rights in the form of land, incomes or taxes from land, fishing rights, etc., sometimes carrying with it an obligation of military service.


Reds

In reference to the ancient Roman and medieval Byzantine racing faction, a calque of Latin russātī (“Reddish-Brown-Clads”) or factio russata (“the reddish-brown-clad faction”) and Byzantine Greek Ῥούσιοι (Rhoúsioi, “Reds”).

bor

(informal, politics) Synonym of Communist Party in various contexts.


Cydonia

From Latin Cydonia, from Ancient Greek Κυδωνία (Kudōnía), q.v.

(historical) Former name of Chania, a city on the island of Crete, Greece.

(historical) A former state on the island of Crete around the city.


bambakion

From Byzantine Greek βαμβάκιον (bambákion).

In his quilted gray bambakion with its frayed hood, worn over a ragged white tunic, there was a hint of service in the armies of Byzantium, while the brass eyelets on the straps of his buskins suggested a sojourn in the West.

2007, Michael Chabon, Gentlemen of the Road, Sceptre, published 2008, page 4:

(historical) A type of padded under-garment, worn under armour, especially by Byzantine troops.


Palaeologus

The last dynasty ruling the Byzantine Empire.


despotate

From despot + -ate (forms nouns denoting rank or office, here the concrete charge of it). Compare despotat.

af

Even before the great sultan Mehmed II, known as El Fatih (the Conqueror), took power in Turkey, the Serbian despotate had become the booty of the invaders.

1974, Vladimir Dedijer, History of Yugoslavia, page 129:

δεσπότης δεσπότης

(historical) An area ruled by a despot (δεσπότης) in the late Byzantine Balkans (12th to 15th centuries).


Byzantism

The study, or the use of elements of the Byzantine culture

bizantinismo

study or use of elements of the Byzantine culture


Hagia Sophia

/ˈhɑːɡiə soʊˈfiə/

From Byzantine Greek and Ancient Greek Ἁγία Σοφία (Hagía Sophía, “Holy Wisdom”).

bor

A mosque in Istanbul, Turkey, (historical) the former patriarchal church of Greek Orthodoxy, operated as a museum 1935–2020.

Ajasofja

a former basilica, now a mosque in Turkey


Cyrene

From Latin Cyrene, from Ancient Greek Κυρήνη (Kurḗnē), of uncertain origin. Classical sources considered the Thessalian demigod the etymon for the Libyan city. Modern scholars variously derive the name from the Libyan spring Κύρα (Kúra) or, noting the myth attested before the spring or city, consider an existing Proto-Berber name to have been conflated with the Thessalian myths by early Greek colonists.

(Greek mythology) A Thessalian princess and huntress demigod, companion of Artemis and lover of Apollo.


Sublime Porte

From French Sublime Porte (“high gate/portal”).

pharaoh

terms related to buildings that are also titles of monarchs

(literally) The monumental portal at the Ottoman palace where the supreme tribunals were held; became the surname of the first palace in Bursa, transferred to the even grander Topkapı palace after the capital's transfer to Istanbul (the former Byzantine imperial capital Constantinople)

He liked the pleasures of the table, and he liked attendance; he was a sort of Sublime Porte to his valets.

1837, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], “A Matrimonial Tête-à-Tête”, in Ethel Churchill: Or, The Two Brides. […], volume II, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, page 170:

(figuratively) A pars pro toto for the Ottoman sultanic court, hence for the imperial government, notably the vizierial divan and the entire empire, or a personage with a similar standing.


Smyrna

From Ancient Greek Σμύρνα (Smúrna), a variant spelling of Σμύρνη (Smúrnē), the Ionic Greek form of the original Aeolic Greek name Μύρρᾱ (Múrrhā, “Smyrna”). Doublet of Izmir.

A former settlement in Kern County, California.

A city in Cobb County, Georgia, United States.

Aroostook County
Aroostook County#English

A small town in Aroostook County, Maine.

An unincorporated community in Nuckolls County, Nebraska.

A town and village in Chenango County, New York.

A locality in Carteret County, North Carolina.


Nicaea

From Latin Nīcaea, from Ancient Greek Νίκαια (Níkaia), for Nicaea wife of Lysimachus, from νίκη (níkē, “victory”) + -ια (-ia, “-ia: forming feminine names”). Doublet of Iznik and Nice.

(historical) Former name of Iznik, a city in Turkey famed for the AD 325 church council that composed the Nicene Creed.

Lysimachus
Nicaea (city)
Nicaea of Macedon


kadi

From Ottoman Turkish قاضی (kadı), from Arabic قَاضِي (qāḍī), and from Arabic directly.

Arabic قَاضِي (qāḍī)

Each has an imaum, but the kadi is their head, of which dignity he seems not a little proud.

"You shall go to Mecca when you grow up, and become a Hadji, and when you come back the high kadi shall take you in the mosque and make a kateeb of you," said I. "Now put your forehead to the ground and thank the good Allah that the kuching had eaten dog before he got you."

1898, Rounsevelle Wildman, Tales of the Malayan Coast:

To this the Jew agreed, and the two went together to the great hall, in which the kadi was administering justice.

Alternative spelling of qadi, Islamic judge, particularly (historical) in Ottoman contexts where they initially oversaw local administration as well as Islamic law.


exarchate

Exarchate of Africa

Astolphus peremptorily refused to listen to the remonstrances of Pepin, who called upon him to evacuate the towns in the exarchate of Ravenna, and to leave the Pope unmolested in the environs of Rome as well as in Rome itself.

1868, Robert Black, A Popular History of France From The Earliest Times:

(historical) The province or area of an exarch.


Byzantine Greek

Collectively, the continuum of forms of the Greek language as written and spoken during the time of the Byzantine Empire (C.E. 330–1453), preceded by Koine Greek and Early Medieval Greek and succeeded by Late Medieval Greek to Modern Greek. (ISO 639-3 code: grc shared with Classical Greek.)


Nicomedia

From Latin Nīcomēdīa, from Ancient Greek Νικομήδεια (Nikomḗdeia), from Νικομήδης (Nikomḗdēs) + -ιᾰ (-ia, “ia: forming place names”).

(historical) Former name of Izmit, a city in Turkey; ancient capital of Bithynia.


eparchy

Via Late Latin eparchia from Koine Greek ἐπαρχία (eparkhía, “province; prefecture”), from Ancient Greek ἔπαρχος (éparkhos, “commander, governor; prefect, eparch”) from ἐπι- (epi-, “on, upon; over”) + ἀρχός (arkhós, “ruler”); equivalent to epi- + -archy.

af

Western Roman Empire
Western Roman Empire

(historical, Ancient Greece, Roman Empire, Byzantine Empire) A provincial government or office headed by an eparch in the Greek-speaking Eastern Roman Empire (akin to a prefecture governed by a prefect in the Latin-speaking Western Roman Empire)

Ancient Greece; Byzantine Empire; Ancient Greece; Byzantine Empire


oeconomus

From Latin oeconomus, from Ancient Greek οἰκονόμος (oikonómos), from οἶκος (oîkos, “house”) + νόμος (nómos, “law, rule”).

A Byzantine title given to the chief steward or treasurer of a household or institution.


Melitene

From Latin Melitene, from Ancient Greek Μελιτηνή (Melitēnḗ). Doublet of Malatya.

(historical) Former name of Malatya, a city in Turkey.


Byzantine Patriarch

en-noun

Byzantine Patriarch (plural Byzantine Patriarchs)

Ecumenical Patriarch
Ecumenical Patriarch

The Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople


Hesychast controversy

(Eastern Orthodoxy, historical) A particular controversy concerning dogma in the 14th-century Byzantine Empire, over whether the idea of divine light was polytheistic, postulating two eternal substances, a visible and an invisible God.


Palamism

From Palamite + -ism, a technical term in the field of Church history coined in the mid 20th century.

The last years of the empire witnessed in Palamism a great revival of mystical personal religion.

1949, English Historical Review, 64, p. 505:

The victory of Palamism in the fourteenth century was therefore the victory of a specifically Christian, God-centered humanism for which the Greek patristic tradition always stood.

1974, John Meyendorff, Byzantine theology: historical trends and doctrinal themes, I. v., p. 78:

(Christianity) The beliefs and practices of the Palamites.


Justinian

Borrowed from Latin Iūstīniānus, from Iūstīnus (“Justin”) + -iānus.

A family name in Late Antiquity, notably that of Justinian I, emperor of the Byzantine Empire from 527 to 565.

Հուստինիանոս

emperor of the Byzantine or East Roman Empire from 527 to 565


Chalcedon

From Latin Chalcēdōn, from Ancient Greek Χαλκηδών (Khalkēdṓn). See Kadıköy.

An ancient maritime town of Bithynia, in Asia Minor in modern Turkey, almost directly opposite Byzantium.


eparch

From Ancient Greek ἔπαρχος (éparkhos), from ἐπί (epí, “over”) + ἀρχός (arkhós, “ruler”).

An Orthodox eparch, or metropolitan bishop, was installed in Polatsk in 992.

2011, Norman Davies, Vanished Kingdoms, Penguin, published 2012, page 246:

(Eastern Orthodoxy) The metropolitan bishop of a province or eparchy.


chelandion

From Ancient Greek χελάνδιον (khelándion).

(historical, nautical) a Byzantine bireme used primarily for cargo transport


dromon

(historical, nautical) A Byzantine bireme, similar to the chelandion, but used primarily for naval combat.


Paulicianism

From Paulician + -ism; see Paulician for more.

(historical) A Christian sect and militarized revolt movement that flourished between 650 and 872 in Armenia and the Eastern Themes of the Byzantine Empire.


porphyrogenite

/ˌpɔːfəˈɹɒd͡ʒɪˌnaɪt/

Learned borrowing from Medieval Latin porphyrogenitus, from Ancient Greek πορφυρογέννητος (porphurogénnētos, literally “born in the purple”).

der

πορφυρογέννητος

Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Empire#English

Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus
w:Constantine VII

(historical) An honorific title given to a son of a reigning emperor in the Byzantine Empire, notably borne by Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus.


catepan

From Byzantine Greek κατεπάνω (katepánō, literally “[the one] placed at the top, or the topmost”).

􂀿the one􂁀 placed at the top, or the topmost

(historical) The governor of a catepanate such as the Catepanate of Italy, a Byzantine province.


Adrianople

/ˌeɪdɹɪəˈnəʊp(ə)l/

From Latin Adrianopolis, from Ancient Greek Ἁδριανούπολις (Hadrianoúpolis, “city of Hadrian”). Doublet of Adrianopolis and Edirne.

Ἁδριανούπολις

(historical) Former name of Edirne, a city in northwestern Turkey.

Ադրիանապոլիս

ancient & medieval Edirne — see also Edirne


Golden Horn

Calque of Ancient Greek Χρυσόκερας (Khrusókeras).

calque

The 20-min. crossing of the Bosphorus by ferry steamer from the Golden Horn, the busy river-fed harbour that divides old and new Istanbul on the European side of the Bosphorus, was a pleasure in itself.

1950 July, J. C. Mertens, “By the "Taurus Express" to Baghdad”, in Railway Magazine, page 435:

A major urban waterway and the primary inlet of the Bosphorus in Istanbul, Turkey.


Belisarius

From Latin Belisarius, from Byzantine Greek Βελισάριος (Belisários).

(history) a general of the Byzantine Empire, who was instrumental to Emperor Justinian's ambitious project of reconquering much of the Mediterranean territory of the former Western Roman Empire, which had been lost less than a century previously


Byzantine studies

(humanities) an interdisciplinary branch of the humanities that addresses the history, culture, costumes, religion, art, such as literature and music, science, economy, and politics of the Byzantine Empire

byzantologie

study of history, culture, etc. of the Byzantine Empire


mahbub

From Arabic مَحْبُوب (maḥbūb, “gold coin; beloved”).

der

His ready cash consisted of eight hundred thousand mahbub and funduclys; the rest of his treasure was in jewels, to the amount of about six million of ducats.

1783, Sauveur Lusignan, A history of the Revolution of Ali Bey against the Ottoman Porte, page 119:

The only coins allowed by the Turkish government to be struck at Cairo are the Mahbub (or Zermahbub) Sequins, and Medini.

1811, Patrick Kelly, The universal cambist, and commercial instructor, page 83:

At Grand Cairo in Egypt, contracts are made in funducli and mahbub sequins; the former are reckoned at 146 medini, and 3 mahbubs are equal to 4 pataccas, so that the mahbub is worth 120 medini.

1819, Abraham Rees, The Cyclopædia: Or, Universal Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, and Literature:


Oriental Orthodox Church

Eastern Christianity
Eastern Christianity

Eastern Orthodox Church
Eastern Orthodox Church

One of the three major divisions of Eastern Christianity, distinguished by its miaphysite Christology, not to be confused with Eastern Orthodox Church and the Church of the East.

Արեւելյան ուղղափառ եկեղեցի

one of the three major divisions of Eastern Christianity


Cyzicus

From Latin Cȳzicus, from Ancient Greek Κύζικος (Kúzikos).

(historical) A former city in Balikesir Province, Turkey, formerly part of the ancient region of Mysia.


Comnenus

Borrowed from Latin Comnenus, from Byzantine Greek Κομνηνός (Komnēnós).

(historical) member of a noble family who ruled the Byzantine Empire from 1081 to 1185


Johnny Turk

(obsolete, informal, military slang) An Ottoman soldier in World War One, particularly a Turkish one.

(by extension) The Ottoman Empire in general.


Whites

1996, S. Greenfield, "When the Whites Go Marching In? Racism and Resistances in English Football", Marquette Sports Law Review, Vol. 6, No. 2, Art. 7, p. 315: #*: "When the Whites go Marching In" is a version of the hymn "When the Saints go Marching In" and has been sung by football fans whilst attending "away" matches in other countries... In this context the reference is to English supporters indicating their disapproval of black players.

When the Whites go marching in, oh, when the Whites go marching in, oh, I wanna be in that number when the Whites go marching in!

(sports, historical) Any of several sports teams whose uniform is predominantly white, particularly

(soccer, UK) The away team during international matches.


megaduke

From Byzantine Greek μέγας δούξ (mégas doúx, literally “great leader”). By surface analysis, mega- + duke.

bor

Roger de Flor was given the title of megaduke and the King of Bulgaria's daughter as his wife.

1968, Alan Lloyd, The Spanish Centuries, page 56:

In September 1169 the Byzantine admiral, the megaduke Andronicus Contostephanus, arrived in Tyre […]

1979, Jean Richard, translated by Janet Shirley, The Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem, volume 1, page 50:

After Manuel's death, the actual number of ships and sailors under the megaduke had declined significantly, and the sailors tended to consist of unreliable foreigners.

1987, John V. A. Fine, Jr., The Late Medieval Balkans: A Critical Survey from the Late Twelfth Century to the Ottoman Conquest, page 35:

(historical, military) The commander in chief of the Byzantine navy.


Byzantian

en-adj

Byzantian (comparative more Byzantian, superlative most Byzantian)

more Byzantian (comparative)
most Byzantian (superlative)

Alternative form of Byzantine (“of or pertaining to Byzantium”)


Byzantian

Alternative form of Byzantine (“native of Byzantium”)


Procopius

Via Latin Procopius from Koine Greek Προκόπῐος (Prokópios), from Ancient Greek προκοπή (prokopḗ, “progress forward to prosperity; advancement toward success; improvement by diligence”), with Latin suffix -ius equivalent to Greek suffix -ῐος (-ios).

der

A male given name of historical usage, notably borne by Procopius of Caesarea, a Byzantine Greek historian of the 6th century C.E.


Menologion

The Menologion of Basil II is an important work for understanding the medieval Byzantine church.

Synonym of Menologium, particularly in Byzantine, Greek, and Eastern Orthodox contexts.


menologion

en-noun

menologion (plural menologions or menologia)

From Byzantine Greek μηνολόγιον (mēnológion), from Ancient Greek μήν (mḗn, “month”) + -ο- (-o-, “-o-”) + λόγιον (lógion, “writing, record, announcement”), from λόγος (lógos, “writing, recording”) + -ιον (-ion, “-ion: forming related nouns”). Doublet of menologe, menologium, and menology. See horologion.

doublet

In order to make a preliminary study of the text of the menologion on the basis of evidence from the MSS accessible, the area of greatest uniformity was sought.

1936, Morgan Ward Redus, The Text of the Major Festivals on the Menologion in the Greek Gospel Lectionary, Studies in the Lectionary Text of the Greek New Testiment, Vol. II, No. 2

Synonym of menologium, particularly in Greek, Byzantine, and Eastern Orthodox contexts.


menologem

en-noun

menologem (plural menologems or menologema)

From Byzantine Greek μηνολόγημα (mēnológēma).

The first attested use of a menologem was under Constantine IV (r. 668–685).

(historical) A stylized date used for certain documents of the Byzantine Empire.


menologium

menologium (plural menologiums or menologia)

From Medieval Latin mēnologium, from Ancient and Byzantine Greek μηνολόγιον (mēnológion), from μήν (mḗn, “month”) + λόγιον (lógion, “writing, record, announcement”), itself from λόγος (lógos, “writing, recording”). Doublet of menologion, menologe, and menology.

ménologe

a monthly list of information, particularly in Christian contexts

menology

chiefly Mesopotamian contexts or inexact

(historical) Synonym of menologem, a stylized date acting as a signature on some documents of the Byzantine Empire.


Ayasoluk

Variant spelling of Turkish Ayasuluk and Ottoman Turkish ایاصـولق (Ayasuluk), from Byzantine Greek Ἅγιος Θεολόγος (Hágios Theológos, “the Holy Theologian”), from its 6th-century basilica dedicated to St John the Theologian, supposed author of the Book of Revelation. Doublet of Agios Theologos.

der

Ἅγιος Θεολόγος

(historical) Former name of Selcuk, a town in Turkey near the ruins of ancient Ephesus.


Agios Theologos

From the modern Greek transcription of Byzantine Greek Ἅγιος Θεολόγος (Hágios Theológos, “the Holy Theologian”), from its 6th-century basilica dedicated to St John the Theologian, supposed author of the Book of Revelation. Doublet of Ayasoluk.

Ἅγιος Θεολόγος

Hagios Théologos

Selcuk under the Byzantine Empire — see also Ephesus, Ayasoluk, Selcuk