a common language among speakers of different languages; lingua franca
Word origin
from Greek koinē dialektos common language
Koine in British English
(ˈkɔɪniː)
noun
the Koine
koine in American English
(kɔɪˈneɪ; ˈkɔɪˌneɪ; ˈkɔɪˌni; ˈkɔɪˌni)
noun
1. [alsoK-]
the language used throughout the Greek world, from Syria to Gaul, during the Hellenistic and Roman periods: its spoken form consisted of colloquial Attic, supplemented by borrowings from other dialects: the New Testament is written in the koine
2.
a regional dialect or language that has become the common language of a larger area
Word origin
Gr (hē) koinē (dialektos), (the) common (dialect) < koinos: see coeno-
Examples of 'koine' in a sentence
koine
Before his eyes and Joyce's camera, they were turning the skeletal trade koine into a language.
Niven, Larry & Pournelle, Jerry THE MOAT AROUND MURCHESON'S EYE (1993)