koine
/ˈkɔɪneɪ//kɔɪˈneɪ/
koine noun: a linguistic variety that has developed in supraregional contact between speakers of various interrelated dialects, typically in such a way that features shared by several dialects prevail and those of limited distribution are avoided.
Noun
koine (plural koines or koinai)
- A linguistic variety that has developed in supraregional contact between speakers of various interrelated dialects, typically in such a way that features shared by several dialects prevail and those of limited distribution are avoided.
- If a dominant language was spoken in the area of such trade routes, then this dominant language became the ‘interlanguage’, as it is called. Such an interlanguage, or koiné, is a simplified dialect with which speakers of two or more quite different dialects communicate with one another.2004, Steven Roger Fischer, A History of Language, Reaktion Books, page 178
- Now, another term for that product is koine, which, however, I have regularly […] employed in reference to the infrastructure (procedural, juridical, formal, cultural) that enables and informs composition of a lingua franca. […] In linguistic scholarship koine mostly (!) refers to a standard...2013, J. E. Wansborough, Lingua Franca in the Mediterranean, Routledge, page 153
- A lingua franca.
- Darī (q.v.) is a term long recommended by Afghan authorities to designate Afghan Persian in contrast to Iranian Persian; a written language common to all educated Afghanis, Darī must not be confused with Kābolī, the dialect of Kabul and surrounding areas that is more or less understood by eighty...2018 June 1, Charles M. Kieffer, “AFGHANISTAN v. Languages”, in Encyclopædia Iranica, pages 501-516
- Synonyms:
- interlanguage
Proper noun capitalized: Koine
Koine
- The “common” Greek language that developed and flourished between 300 B.C.E. and 300 C.E. (the time of the Roman Empire), and from which Modern Greek descended. It was based on the Attic and Ionian dialects of Ancient Greek.
- Synonyms:
- Hellenistic Greek, Hellenistic Koine, Koine Greek
Synonyms of koine
Forms of koine
| Noun | |
|---|---|
| plural | koines |
| plural | koinai |
| alternative form | coene |
| alternative form | koiné |
| Proper noun | |
| alternative form | Coene |
| alternative form | Koiné |
Origin of koine
Borrowed from Ancient Greek κοινή (koinḗ), feminine form of κοινός (koinós, “common, general”). Doublet of koinon.
Borrowed from Ancient Greek Κοινή (Koinḗ), from ἡ κοινὴ διάλεκτος (hē koinḕ diálektos, “the common dialect”), from κοινός (koinós, “shared, common, public, general, ordinary, usual”). Doublet of koinon.
Words formed from koine
Phrases with koine
Words that rhyme with koine
Questions about koine
- What does koine mean?
- Koine means a linguistic variety that has developed in supraregional contact between speakers of various interrelated dialects, typically in such a way that features shared by several dialects prevail and those of limited distribution are avoided.
- What part of speech is koine?
- Koine can be a noun or a proper noun.
- How do you pronounce koine?
- Koine is pronounced /ˈkɔɪneɪ/ (UK).
- What is the plural of koine?
- The plural of koine is koines.
Words near koine in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: koine (page history and authors); Koine (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-koine.wav, LL-Q1860 (eng)-Sumxr-Koine.wav.
Cite this entry: “koine.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/koine. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.