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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

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Etymology

Origin of costa

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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

costa Costa costae

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

Just inside the second line of the fore wings, near the costa, is a small but conspicuous brown spot.

From Butterflies and Moths (British) by William S. Furneaux

A little inside the middle of these wings, near the costa, is a round spot with a dark centre.

From Butterflies and Moths (British) by William S. Furneaux

Fruit from an oval cavity in the costa.

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

“Even allowing for gains in healthy life expectancy, healthy years with grandchildren fall by about a third,” Costa said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2026

So what happened to a Costa Mesa woman who registered her dog to vote and attempted to cast ballots for it in two elections?

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026

In the last year, the grocer has opened in West Hollywood, Glendale and Thousand Oaks, with outposts in Costa Mesa and downtown Los Angeles locations planned for 2027.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026

A former vice president of Costa Rica, Rebeca Grynspan Mayufis, has prevailed in five of six nonbinding ballots held since July among U.N.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026

“Tell me about your trip to Costa Rica. What are you all going to do?”

From "Piecing Me Together" by Renée Watson

Coeloplana is of similar form and habit, with two Ctenophoran tentacles: it has no costae, but is uniformly ciliated.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 7 "Crocoite" to "Cuba" 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

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

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

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