Meaning & History
Derived from Thracian búzas "he-goat, buck" (similar to Indo-European bhugo "buck" and Greek bous "ox, cow"); since Thracian was not a Hellenic language, one could probably call Byzas a hellenization of sorts. According to legend, this was the name of the founder of the city Byzantion (better known under its latinized form Byzantium); the city's name is derived from his name (from byzantos, the genitive case of his name). Also, in Greek mythology, this was the name of the son of Poseidon and Keroessa.