Vocab

*byzantine \ BIZ-uhn-teen \, adjective;
1. Complex or intricate.
2. Characterized by elaborate scheming and intrigue, esp. for the gaining of political power or favor.
3. Of or pertaining to Byzantium.
4. Of or pertaining to the Byzantine Empire.
5. Noting or pertaining to the architecture of the Byzantine Empire and to architecture influenced by or imitating it.

Quotes:
The fun carrier has shown promise, despite byzantine  regulations,  powerful rivals, and airlines’ tendency to hemorrhage money during  recessions and spikes in fuel prices.
– Brad Stone, “Will Richard Branson’s Virgin America Fly?,” Business Week, December, 2010
A wedding at her parents’ Annapolis estate hurls high-strung Lynn into the fire of primal, byzantine  family dynamics.
– “Movie Review: ‘Another Happy Day,’” Washington Post, January, 2011

Origin:
Byzantine  derives its general reference to complexity from the  intricate workings of the government of Byzantium, an ancient center of  both the Roman and Ottoman empires.

Courtesy of *http://dictionary.reference.com