noun
coast
KOHST/kəʊst/
Land next to the sea or ocean.
The rocky coast meets the blue ocean.
Etymology
Latin costa meant “rib,” which supplied the image of a side or flank. Applied to land, that “side” became its outer margin beside the water—the shore.
In context
It's a very nice kind of sandy beach environment up at the Gulf of Mexico coast of the lower Florida Keys.
More examples
- They followed the coast north.
- Several fishing towns stood along the coast.
- The two coasts had very different weather.
Forms
coast · coasts
coastal adjective — Situated on or relating to a coast.
Similar words
- shore
- The edge of any substantial body of water.
- coastline
- The precise boundary between land and sea.