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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

N, Ciliated furrow from sense pole to costa.

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

The 'bright eye' is a light spot just outside the centre of the wing, nearer the costa than the inner margin.

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

Davide Tamburella was fired from the now-closed La Costa restaurant in May, a fortnight after a meeting with management who had a string of complaints about the chef's behaviour.

From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026

He would not take the cap off to eat among veterans like Luis Figo and Rui Costa.

From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026

The small, heart-shaped 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 ● Nov. 3, 2026

EU chiefs Ursula von der Leyen and Antonio Costa will meet with Canada's Mark Carney in Montreal on the second day of a summit that also features talks between Canadian ministers and senior EU officials.

From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026

John Faa said, “Lyra, there en’t no question of taking you into danger, so don’t delude yourself, child. Stay here and help Ma Costa and keep safe. That’s what you got to do.”

From "The Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman

Shells globular, but having radiating and tuberculated costae.

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

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

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

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