Definitions for koinekɔɪˈneɪ, ˈkɔɪ neɪ
Random House Webster's College Dictionary
koi•nekɔɪˈneɪ, ˈkɔɪ neɪ(n.)
(usu. cap.) the form of ancient Greek, based mainly on Attic, that supplanted other dialects in the Hellenistic period and became the standard language, from which subsequent stages of Greek developed.
Category: Peoples
any language or dialect, often in modified form, in widespread use in an area where other languages were or still are spoken; lingua franca.
Category: Language/Linguistics
Origin of koine:
1910–15; < Gk
Princeton's WordNet
Koine(noun)
a Greek dialect that flourished under the Roman Empire
lingua franca, interlanguage, koine(noun)
a common language used by speakers of different languages
"Koine is a dialect of ancient Greek that was the lingua franca of the empire of Alexander the Great and was widely spoken throughout the eastern Mediterranean area in Roman times"
Wiktionary
Koine(ProperNoun)
The "common" Greek language that developed and flourished between 300 and 300 (the time of the Roman Empire), and from which Modern Greek descended. It was based on the Attic and Ionian dialects of Ancient Greek.
koine(Noun)
A lingua franca.
koine(Noun)
A regional language that becomes standard over time.
Origin: From κοινός
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