Meanings
koine1
plural koines · plural koinai · alternative coene · alternative koiné
- 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 1781 more example
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 language expanded by input from several dialectal sources with concomitant levelling of morphological and syntactic differences and adoption of a general and possibly restricted lexicon.
2013, J. E. Wansborough, Lingua Franca in the Mediterranean, Routledge, page 153 - A lingua franca.
1 more example
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 percent of the non-Persian speaking population and is fast becoming the nation’s koine.
2018 June 1, Charles M. Kieffer, “AFGHANISTAN v. Languages”, in Encyclopædia Iranica, pages 501-516Synonyms: interlanguage
Koine2
alternative Coene · alternative Koiné
- 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 & antonyms
nounA lingua franca.
proper nounThe “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.
More synonyms by meaning
nouna common language used by speakers of different languages
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
koine · noun
- Ancient Greekκοινή
- Englishkoine
Borrowed from Ancient Greek κοινή (koinḗ), feminine form of κοινός (koinós, “common, general”). Doublet of koinon.
More words from Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Koine · proper noun
- Ancient GreekΚοινή
- EnglishKoine
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.
More words from Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek Κοινή
- Κοινή (Koinḗ)common Greek language
Catalan koiné, koiné
- koinélingua franca
- koinécommon Greek language
- grec koinécommon Greek language
Chinese Mandarin 共同語 /共同语
- 共同語 /共同语 (gòng tóng yǔ)regional language that becomes standard
Czech koiné
- koinécommon Greek language
Danish koinesprog, koine
- koinesprogregional language that becomes standard
- koineregional language that becomes standard
- koinesproglingua franca
- koinelingua franca
- koinecommon Greek language
Dutch Koinè
- Koinècommon Greek language
Esperanto kojneo
- kojneocommon Greek language
Estonian koinee
- koineecommon Greek language
Finnish koinee
- koineecommon Greek language
French koinè, koinè
- koinèregional language that becomes standard
- koinècommon Greek language
German Koine, Koine
- Koineregional language that becomes standard
- Koinecommon Greek language
Greek Ελληνιστική Κοινή
- Ελληνιστική Κοινή (Ellinistikí Koiní)common Greek language
Hindi कोइने
- कोइने (koine)common Greek language
Hungarian koiné
- koinécommon Greek language
Italian koinè, coinè
- koinècommon Greek language
- coinècommon Greek language
Japanese コイネー
- コイネー (Koinē)common Greek language
Korean 코이네 그리스어, 공통 그리스어
- 코이네 그리스어 (Koine Geuriseueo)common Greek language
- 공통 그리스어 (gongtong Geuriseueo)common Greek language
Norwegian Bokmål koinéspråk, koinéspråk
- koinéspråkregional language that becomes standard
- koinéspråklingua franca
- koinécommon Greek language
Persian یونانی کوینه
- یونانی کوینه (Yūnānī-ye Koyne)common Greek language
Polish koine, koine
- koineregional language that becomes standard
- koinecommon Greek language
Portuguese koiné, coiné
- koinéregional language that becomes standard
- coinécommon Greek language
- koinécommon Greek language
- koinecommon Greek language
Romanian koine
- koinecommon Greek language
Russian койне́
- койне́ (kojné)common Greek language
Spanish koiné, koiné
- koinéregional language that becomes standard
- koinélingua franca
- koinécommon Greek language
- coinécommon Greek language
Swedish koine
- koinecommon Greek language
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with koine
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
koine. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/koine
“koine.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/koine. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “koine,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/koine.
Source: koine on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.