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

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