besant (s.xii)

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besant (s.xii)

[ FEW: 1,669b byzantius; Gdf: 1,631b besan 1; GdfC: 8,318a besant; TL: 1,937 besant; DEAF:  besant; DMF:  besant; TLF:  besant; OED:  bezant | byzant n.; MED:  besaunt n.; DMLBS: 231b Byzantus ]
besand,  besaunt;  bessant,  bessaunt;  bezant  

s.

1curr.finan.bezant, originally a gold coin from Byzantium but also used for a similar coin used in Western Europe or as a rendering for various Biblical coins
( s.xii )  un besand d’or  i 271
( 1160-74; MS: s.xiiiin )  N’i poeit pelerin entrer En Jherusalem pur urer Ki ainz ne dunast un besant  i 278.3161
( c.1170; MS: s.xiiiex )  il ne perdi del soen [le] vaillant [d’]un besant  113
( MS: c.1275 )  si il soi absentent [...] chescun par soi est en la merci de un besant  26.4
( MS: s.xiiiex ) talentum: (C) gallice besant  ii 145.36
( MS: s.xiii/xiv )  bisantius: besauns  ii 147.36
( c.1334; MS: s.xivm )  manda [...] qe Symon lui mandast cent besantz d’argent  106.8
fig.Bibl.talent, endowment, ability
( c.1275; MS: s.xiii4/4 )  Si vus celez le besaunt Ke a pru deust estre mys avaunt, Deus vus en purra chalaunger  5709
2herald.bezant, gold roundel
( 1300; MS: s.xiv1 )  Aleyn de la Souche, tresor, Signefioit ke fust brisans Sa rouge baniere o besans  112.498
( s.xivm; MS: s.xivex )  Quant ils sount d’or, sount besauntz; quant ils sount d’argent, platz  82
3 name (used as a surname)
( 1167-8 )  Lefwinus Besant  xii 6
( 1186-92 )  Robert Besant  Besant
This is an AND2 Phase 1 (A-E) entry © 2000-2006 The Anglo-Norman Dictionary. On-line entry partially revised after the print version of AND2 went to press (2007-03-22) The printed edition of AND2 A-E is published by Taylor & Francis for the MHRA, sole owners of the print-media publication rights. All other rights reserved. Digitisation funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council of the United Kingdom.
besant