bezant

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

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

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /ˈbɛzənt/

Noun

bezant (plural bezants)

  1. (history) A coin made of gold or silver, minted at Byzantium and used in currency throughout mediaeval Europe.
    Synonym: solidus
  2. (heraldry) A roundel or (that is, a golden circle), the heraldic representation of a gold coin.
    • 1941 December, “The Why and the Wherefore: Cornish names of G.W.R. locomotives”, in Railway Magazine, page 575:
      One and All is the motto of the County of Cornwall, used below the coat-of-arms, which is a shield embracing fifteen bezants, or golden roundels, on a black ground; [...].

Derived terms

Translations

See also
metals main colours less common colours
tincture orargentgulesazuresablevertpurpuretennéorangesanguine
depiction a shield of gold a shield of silver a shield of red a shield of blue a shield of black a shield of green a shield of purple a shield of brownish orange a shield of bright orange a shield of blood red
roundel (in parentheses: semé): a circle of gold
bezant (bezanty)		a circle of silver
plate (platy)		a circle of red
torteau (tortelly)		a circle of blue
hurt (hurty)		a circle of black
pellet (pellety), ogress		a circle of green
pomme

a circle of purple
golpe (golpy)		a circle of orange
orange (semé of oranges)		a circle of blood red
guze (semé of guzes)
goutte (noun) / gutty (adj) thereof: a drop of gold
(goutte / gutty) d'or (of gold)		a drop of silver
d'eau (of water)		a drop of red
de sang (of blood)		a drop of blue
de larmes (of tears)		a drop of black
de poix

(of pitch)		a drop of green
d'huile / d'olive (olive oil)		a drop of purple



special roundel furs additional, uncommon tinctures:
tincture fountain, syke: barry wavy argent and azureermineermines, counter-ermineerminoispeanvaircounter-vairpotentcounter-potentbleu celeste, brunâtre, carnation, cendrée (iron, steel, acier), copper, murrey
depiction a circle of wavy blue and silver bars a shield of ermine a shield of ermines a shield of erminois a shield of pean a shield of vair a shield of countervair a shield of potent a shield of counterpotent

Anagrams

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch besant, from Old French bezant, from Latin byzantius.

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /bəˈzɑnt/
  • Audio(file)
  • Hyphenation: be‧zant
  • Rhymes: -ɑnt

Noun

bezant m (plural bezanten, diminutive bezantje n)

  1. bezant (coin)
  2. (heraldry) bezant

French

Pronunciation

Noun

bezant m (plural bezants)

  1. bezant (coin)

Further reading

Old French

Noun

bezant oblique singular, m (oblique plural bezanz or bezantz, nominative singular bezanz or bezantz, nominative plural bezant)

  1. bezant (coin)
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