Costa
1 Americannoun
noun
plural
costae-
a rib or riblike part.
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the midrib of a leaf in mosses.
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a ridge.
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Entomology.
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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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noun
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the technical name for rib 1
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a riblike part, such as the midrib of a plant leaf
plural
costaeOther Word Forms
- costal adjective
- pseudocosta noun
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.
That’s why the doctor, who spoke neither English nor Russian, had spent the last year gesticulating diagnoses for interpreters whose knowledge of Italian was limited to “quanto costa” and “non capisco.”
From New York Times
"Quanto costa?" he says, louder, and points towards a Wrecking Ball shirt.
From The Guardian
What T costae lacks in details of its biology, it makes up for in its contribution to the evolutionary history of its genus.
From The Guardian
Fruit arising from the costa, at first terminal, becoming dorsal.
From Project Gutenberg
In this position the outer margin of the wing is the costa, the inner the dorsum, and the hind-margin the termen.
From Project Gutenberg
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.