koine
[ koi-ney, koi-ney ]
/ kɔɪˈneɪ, ˈkɔɪ neɪ /
noun
(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.
a lingua franca.
QUIZZES
DISCOVER THE INFLUENCE OF PORTUGUESE ON ENGLISH VIA THIS QUIZ!
We’ve gathered some interesting words donated to English from Portuguese … as well as some that just don’t translate at all. Do you know what they mean?
Question 1 of 11
Which of the following animal names traces its immediate origin to Portuguese?
Origin of koine
Words nearby koine
kohutuhutu, koi, koilocyte, koilocytosis, koilonychia, koine, Koizumi, koji, kokako, Kokand, kokanee
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for koine
But as we were then leaving Koine, and were not yet melted with the grief of absence, I had the courage to resist their demand.
Roman Holidays and Others|W. D. Howells
British Dictionary definitions for koine (1 of 2)
koine
/ (ˈkɔɪniː) /
noun
a common language among speakers of different languages; lingua franca
Word Origin for koine
from Greek koinē dialektos common language
British Dictionary definitions for koine (2 of 2)
Koine
/ (ˈkɔɪniː) /
noun
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
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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