Photian
Photian adjective: of or relating to Photios I of Constantinople.
Adjective
Photian (comparative more Photian, superlative most Photian)
- Of or relating to Photios I of Constantinople.
- […]; yea, they ſaid to the Photian Biſhops, Imperator jubet et vult, the Emperours will, pleaſure, and command is, that you ſhould ſpeake in your owne cauſe.1631, Rich[ard] Crakanthorp, Vigilius Dormitans. Romes Seer Overseene. Or a Treatise of the Fift Generall Councell Held at Constantinople, Anno 553. under Iustinian the Emperour, in the Time of Pope...
- The persons who had represented the three patriarchs in the Photian synods were brought forward and made to confess themselves impostors;1859, Thomas Greenwood, Cathedra Petri. A Political History of the Great Latin Patriarchate., London: Thickbroom Brothers, page 390
Noun
Photian (plural Photians)
- A follower of the Photian bishops, a sect in the 17th century that questioned the supremacy of the Pope believing that the Christian Church should be governed by 12 supreme rulers.
- Anathema to the Photians in like manner, who renewing the hereſy of Ebion, teach that our Lord Ieſus Chriſt tooke his beginning onely of the Virgin Mary.1612, The Ecclesiasticall History of Theodoret Bishop of Cyrus, page 345
- To 9 Actions in which theſe things were traſacted there are added 27 Canons, in which beſides the fooliſh rage againſt the Photians and the honour beſtowed on Images, that is to be commended of the ſixth canon, which forbids Prieſtly veſtments to be uſed in ſcenicall playes though for ſports ſake.1654, John Prideaux, A Synopsis of Councels, Oxford: […] Leonard Lichfield […], for Thomas Robinson, page 32
Examples of Photian in a sentence
- Henry’s Budé text of the Photian excerpts that he does not make clear when we have fuller versions of the Photian text.2004, Alan Cameron, Greek Mythography in the Roman World, Oxford University Press:
- From the sixth to the ninth session the synod amused itself by anathematising the Photians and their heresies, and burning their books and papers.1859, Thomas Greenwood, Cathedra Petri. A Political History of the Great Latin Patriarchate., London: Thickbroom Brothers, page 390:
Forms of Photian
| Adjective | |
|---|---|
| comparative | more Photian |
| superlative | most Photian |
| Noun | |
| plural | Photians |
Origin of Photian
From Latin Phōtiānus.
Questions about Photian
- What does Photian mean?
- Photian means of or relating to Photios I of Constantinople.
- How do you use Photian in a sentence?
- Henry’s Budé text of the Photian excerpts that he does not make clear when we have fuller versions of the Photian text.
- What part of speech is Photian?
- Photian can be an adjective or a noun.
Words near Photian in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: Photian (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Cite this entry: “Photian.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/photian. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.