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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

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

The fore wings are pale grey or brownish, with a patch of dark greyish brown at the base, another larger one on the middle of the costa, and a third near the tip.

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

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 reddish patch in the centre of the wing, also edged with yellow, is narrow on the costa, and expands as it approaches the inner margin.

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

EU council chief Antonio Costa said he wanted to move on to the next phase of the process during a European summit scheduled for November 26–27 in Brussels.

From Barron's ● Nov. 13, 2026

Now, Costa Rican authorities say evidence points to multiple suspects — including Van Dyke’s 31-year-old girlfriend, who was identified only by her last name, Arroyo.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 13, 2026

Costa Rica alone supports approximately half a million species, roughly five times the number found across Canada, even though Canada's land area is about 200 times larger.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 12, 2026

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

Terryl, after much consultation with April, decided to go on an LDS mission, to Costa Rica, in July 1989.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel

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

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

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

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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