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• costa
  costa

  noun

  a rib or riblike part.
• Costa
  Costa

  noun

  Lúcio 1902–98, Brazilian architect, chief designer of Brasilia.

costa

¹ American  

[kos-tuh, kaw-stuh] / ˈkɒs tə, ˈkɔ stə /

noun

• costae
  plural

1. a rib or riblike part.

2. the midrib of a leaf in mosses.

3. a ridge.

4. Entomology.

   1. Also called costal vein. a vein, usually marginal, in the anterior portion of the wing of certain insects.

   2. 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

1. Lúcio 1902–98, Brazilian architect, chief designer of Brasilia.

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costa British  

/ ˈkɒstə /

noun

1. the technical name for rib 1

2. a riblike part, such as the midrib of a plant leaf

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costa Scientific  

/ kŏs′tə /

• costae
  plural

1. A rib or a riblike part, such as the midrib of a leaf or a thickened anterior vein or margin of an insect's wing.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• pseudocosta
  noun
• costal
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• costae
  plural

Etymology

Origin of costa

1865–70; < Latin: rib, side. See coast

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

costa Costa costae

Billfish Bite Goes Loco Anglers release more than 2,000 sails and marlin in costa rica.

From Time Magazine Archive

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

He was a most respectable person, very rich, and commanded a Cuban guarda costa to boot.

From Captain Brand of the "Centipede" A Pirate of Eminence in the West Indies: His Love and Exploits, Together with Some Account of the Singular Manner by Which He Departed This Life by H. A. (Henry Augustus) Wise

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

Thallus dichotomous, copiously reticulate and porose, with a narrow costa; gemmæ none.

From The Manual of the Botany of the Northern United States Including the District East of the Mississippi and North of North Carolina and Tennessee by Asa Gray

Earthquakes are rare in Panama and usually occur in the western Chiriqui province, bordering Costa Rica.

From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026

Scientists surveying underwater mountains off Costa Rica have identified a remarkable new coral that is unlike any known coral family.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 8, 2026

I came across a new women’s-health-focused program at Sha Mexico, a medical spa and hotel in Costa Mujeres, just north of Cancún.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

The turtles are normally found throughout tropical regions of the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic oceans, with large nesting populations in Mexico, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2026

“She made our school sound dirty, and Mr. Costa works hard.”

From "Ralph S. Mouse" by Beverly Cleary

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

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

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

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