Main Entry:

koi·ne

Variant(s):

also koi·né \kȯi-ˈnā, ˈkȯi-ˌ; kē-ˈnē\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

Greek koinē, from feminine of koinos common

Date:

1909

1capitalized : the Greek language commonly spoken and written in eastern Mediterranean countries in the Hellenistic and Roman periods2: a dialect or language of a region that has become the common or standard language of a larger area