Coast
/koʊst/noun
The land along the edge of a sea or ocean.
Did you know?Coast comes through Old French from Latin costa, meaning “rib” or “side,” so the shoreline was literally imagined as the earth’s side—its exposed edge.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
costa
“rib; side”
Old French
Old French
coste
“side; coast; slope”
Middle English
English
cost
“shore; side of a landmass”
16th Century
English
coast
“shore; seaboard”
Modern English
English
coast
“the land bordering a sea or ocean”