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costa

Etymology and origin of the English word costa

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Latin costa
English costa

English has two words spelled costa: a scientific term for a rib, from Latin, and a jocular one for a stretch of coast, from Spanish, both going back to Latin costa.[1][2]

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈkɒ.stə/ (UK); /ˈkɑ.stə/ (US)[3]

costa1 rib

Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
1771
Borrowed from
Latin costa
Ultimate origin
Latin (costa)

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin costa (“rib, side, wall”), also the source of English coast.[4][1][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Latin word for rib, applied in natural history and physiology: 1866 in the OED, the mid-19th century in NODE and SOED;[6][7][1] MWU dates it to 1771.[4]

Semantic evolution

In botany and zoology it is used of rib-like structures, especially the midrib of a leaf and the front vein of an insect's wing.[1][5][8]

Timeline

  • 1771 – first use (MWU).[4]
  • 1866 – in natural history.[6]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. (anatomy) A rib.
  2. (botany, zoology) A rib-like part, such as the midrib of a leaf or the front vein of an insect's wing.

Word family

  • costal
  • intercostal

costa2 jocular coast

Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
1968
Borrowed from
Spanish costa
Ultimate origin
Spanish (costa)

Etymology

It is borrowed from Spanish costa (“coast”), from the same Latin source as English coast,[2][1] as in the resort names Costa Brava and Costa del Sol.[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first part of humorous pseudo-place-names: 1968 in the OED;[6] used in Britain from the 1960s.[2]

Semantic evolution

Etymonline cites jocular formations such as costa geriatrica and costa del crime, in imitation of Spanish tourist destinations.[2] SOED labels it jocular, a coast.[1]

Timeline

  • 1960s – jocular pseudo-place-names.[2][6]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. (jocular, British) A coast or coastal resort area, in humorous imitations of Spanish place-names: the Costa del Crime.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  2. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  4. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ a b Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
  6. ^ a b c d Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  8. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Costa.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/costa. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

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