Definition of Koine

1. Noun. A Greek dialect that flourished under the Roman Empire.

Generic synonyms: Greek, Hellenic, Hellenic Language

2. Noun. A common language used by speakers of different languages. "Koine is a dialect of ancient Greek that was the lingua franca of the empire of Alexander the Great and was widely spoken throughout the eastern Mediterranean area in Roman times"

Definition of Koine

1. Proper noun. 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. ¹

2. Noun. A lingua franca. ¹

3. Noun. A regional language that becomes standard over time. ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Definition of Koine

1. a type of dialect [n -S] - See also: dialect

Lexicographical Neighbors of Koine

kohled
kohler disease
kohleria
kohling
kohlrabi
kohlrabies
kohlrabis
kohls
kohutuhutu
koi
koilocyte
koilocytes
koilocytosis
koilonychia
koilosternia
koine (current term)
koines
koinomatter
koinonia
koinonias
kois
koji
kojic acid
kojis
kok-saghyz
kok-sagyz
kokama
kokanee
kokanees
koken

Literary usage of Koine

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. Dictionary of the Apostolic Church by James Hastings, John Alexander Selbie, John Chisholm Lambert (1915)
"The koine developed more rapidly in the hellenized lands outside Greece than upon its native soil, where the indigenous dialects offered some degree of ..."

2. The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon (1887)
"... and he resolved, by the final conquest of Persia, to chastise the haughty nation which had ^o long resisted and insulted the majesty of koine. ..."

3. Appleton's Cyclopaedia of American Biography by James Grant Wilson, John Fiske (1898)
"In 1879 he was a delegate to the Meteorological congress at koine. He was promoted brigadier-general on 16 June, 1880, as a special reward by congress for ..."

4. The Cumulative Book Index by H.W. Wilson Company (1901)
"Handbook to Christian and ecclesiastical koine. Malleson, II.. and Tub or, MA R T.3.: inol. pts. 3 and 4. $2.75. Macmillan. HANDBOOKS for practical workers ..."

5. The International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia by James Orr (1915)
"Some words have not yet been found in the non-Bib, koine, but they may be any day. ... The koine uses more words from the lower strata of society. ..."

6. Extracts of the Journals and Correspondence of Miss Berry: From the Year by Mary Berry (1865)
"... one of the ancient gates of koine, is, like all the others, built of immense blocks of travertine. The road within not running straight to it, ..."

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