koine

[ koi-ney, koi-ney ]

noun

1. (usually initial capital letter) an amalgam of Greek dialects, chiefly Attic and Ionic, that replaced the Classical Greek dialects in the Hellenistic period and flourished under the Roman Empire.
2. a lingua franca.

koine

¹

/ ˈkɔɪniː /

noun

1. a common language among speakers of different languages; lingua franca

Koine

²

/ ˈkɔɪniː /

noun

1. the Koine
   sometimes not capital the Ancient Greek dialect that was the lingua franca of the empire of Alexander the Great and was widely used throughout the E Mediterranean area in Roman times

Word History and Origins

Origin of koine¹

1910–15; < Greek koinḗ ( diálektos ) common (dialect); ceno- ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of koine¹

from Greek koinē dialektos common language

Example Sentences

Police Scotland concluded its search of the firm's premises earlier this month but said its investigation - Operation Koine - remains ongoing.

From BBC

So, they named it amethystos, the Koine Greek word for "not intoxicated."

From Scientific American

This I had a bead on, because I knew that Koine was the word for Biblical Greek.

From The New Yorker

“Bible” comes from medieval and late Latin and Koine Greek “biblia,” which means “the books”.

From The Guardian

Commented on Two Great Historians On Alexander the Great, Part One “The language was Koine sort of esperanto in that time which is mix of Macedonian dialect, Hellenic dialect and Egyptian...”

From Forbes