/koy nay", koy"nay/ , n.
1. ( usually cap. ) an amalgam of Greek dialects, chiefly Attic and Ionic, that replaced the Classical Greek dialects in the Hellenistic period and flourished under the Roman Empire.
2. a lingua franca.
[ 1910-15; koiné ( diálektos ) common (dialect); see CENO- 2 ]