costa

Everyday

1. (a name) Costa Coffee, a big chain of coffee shops in the UK and Ireland; people say «Let's go to Costa». tree →
2. (a place name) Part of names of coasts and countries: Costa Rica (a country in Central America), Costa del Sol and Costa Brava (holiday coasts in Spain). tree →
3. (Spanish, Portuguese, Italian) «Costa» means «coast» in these languages; it is not an English common word. tree →
4. (a name) A surname, as in the footballer Diego Costa. tree →
5. (science, rare) A rib, or a rib-like ridge, for example the strong front vein of an insect's wing. tree →

In the lessons

It is a short honest entry: in English texts it is almost always a name — of a coffee shop, a holiday coast or a country. In geography, Costa Rica is famous for rainforests, volcanoes and wildlife such as sloths and toucans. Phrases: «Costa Rica», «Costa del Sol», «Costa Coffee».

Examples

• Mum bought a hot chocolate for me at Costa. tree →
• Costa Rica is home to sloths and toucans. tree →
• We went on holiday to the Costa del Sol in Spain. tree →
• «Costa» means coast in Spanish. tree →
• The footballer Costa scored in the final. tree →
• Costa Rica has no army. tree →

Note

Usually written with a capital C as a name. Said «KOSS-tuh». The science sense is rare; its plural is «costae». Do not confuse with «cost» (price).