costa
noun
a rib or riblike part.
costa
1 American
[kos-tuh, kaw-stuh]
/ ˈkɒs tə, ˈkɔ stə /
noun
-
costae
plural
-
a rib or riblike part.
-
the midrib of a leaf in mosses.
-
a ridge.
-
Entomology.
-
Also called costal vein. a vein, usually marginal, in the anterior portion of the wing of certain insects.
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Also called costal margin. the anterior edge or border of the wing of certain insects.
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Costa
2
American
[kaw-stuh]
/ ˈkɔ stə /
noun
costa
British
/ ˈkɒstə /
noun
-
the technical name for rib 1
-
a riblike part, such as the midrib of a plant leaf
costa
Scientific
/ kŏs′tə /
-
costae
plural
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of costa
1865–70; < Latin: rib, side. See coast
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
In St. Augustine, Fla., saying "It costa me ten bucks but I like mucha better," Shrimper Tomas DiGrande got permission to change the name of his boat from Il Duce to Diana.
From Time Magazine Archive
Billfish Bite Goes Loco Anglers release more than 2,000 sails and marlin in costa rica.
From Time Magazine Archive
Our only example is the V Moth, so called from the conspicuous V-shaped blackish mark on the middle of the costa of the fore wings.
From Butterflies and Moths (British) by William S. Furneaux
Its fore wings are yellow, with a reddish streak along the costa near the base, and a small reddish spot opposite this near the inner margin.
From Butterflies and Moths (British) by William S. Furneaux
In Furcula, the outer margin of the band is generally sharply bent inward just below the costa.
From Butterflies and Moths (British) by William S. Furneaux
But they proved popular with voters: This year, Chaves’s handpicked successor, Fernández, won a majority of seats in Costa Rica’s legislature, something Chaves never had.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
Last season, the 24-year-old matched his shirt number by scoring 20 goals in all competitions, becoming the first Chelsea striker since Diego Costa to reach that mark nine years earlier.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
Last year, it sold businesses in Colombia, Costa Rica and Panama to Banco Davivienda in exchange for a 20% stake in the enlarged Colombian lender.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
EU Council President Antonio Costa is also due in Kyiv for the talks, which come amid the latest, deadly escalation of the war.
From Barron's ● Aug. 23, 2026
“What’s happened?” said Tony Costa, hearing the indignant voices from the streets above, as the townsfolk and the police made their way to the harbor.
From "The Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman
True costae always correspond to the septa, and are in fact the peripheral edges of the latter.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Slice 2 "Anjar" to "Apollo" by Various
Its costae are very short, and retrusible; its two tentacles are pinnate and are also retrusible.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 7 "Crocoite" to "Cuba" by Various
Shells globular, but having radiating and tuberculated costae.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 6 "Celtes, Konrad" to "Ceramics" by Various
Intercostal: between veins or costae; usually in the narrow grooves between veins in the costal region of a wing.
From Explanation of Terms Used in Entomology by John. B. Smith
Shell not carinated, but with radiating costae, which are often bifurcated, aperture often with lateral projections which contract it, aptychus formed of two pieces.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 6 "Celtes, Konrad" to "Ceramics" by Various
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
