1. a form of Greek that was the common language of the eastern Mediterranean region during the Hellenistic and Roman periods
Usage: historical linguistics
2. a regional dialect or language that has become the common language of a larger area
Usage: linguistics

Examples

• The New Testament was written in Koine Greek.
• Koine served as the lingua franca of the ancient Mediterranean world.
• Scholars study Koine to understand early Christian texts.
• The spread of Koine facilitated trade and communication across the Greek-speaking world.
• Many inscriptions from the Roman period are written in Koine.
• Koine developed from the Attic dialect of ancient Greek.