koinon means an association or federation of distinct city-states with shared political institutions and citizenship. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 87 out of 100.
Why this word is great
KOINON — [Noun] A political federation of distinct Greek city-states, characterized by integrated institutions and a form of shared or dual citizenship. From Ancient Greek κοινόν (koinón), the neuter form of κοινός (koinós, "common, public, shared"). Unlike the sovereign, self-contained polis or the transient, martial symmachy, a koinon was a deliberate architecture of willed commonality. It was the shared silver coinage minted by a dozen separate cities, the identical oath sworn in different dialects at distant altars, and the elected representatives traveling to a joint, neutral sanctuary—a fragile testament to the idea that one can belong both to one's walls and to a wider, invented home.
noun
- An association or federation of distinct city-states with shared political institutions and citizenship.“Greek koina have their own chronological and local particularities, and in spite of the existence of certain analogies, these cannot be followed absolutely or be considered valid in all cases.”