coast

name

1. A region of British Columbia, Canada.

noun

Etymology: From Middle English coste (“rib; side of the body”), from Old French coste (“rib; side of an object; coast”) (modern French côte (“rib; coast; hill, slope”)), from Latin costa (“rib; side, wall”). Doublet of costa. Compare typologically cape < Latin caput, ness (akin to nose), Bulgarian нос (nos, “nose; …; cape, promontory, foreland, gore”), Macedonian ’рт (’rt), Serbo-Croatian рт (“cape, promontory, headland”) < Proto-Slavic *rъtъ (whence Russian рот (rot)).

1. The edge of the land where it meets an ocean, sea, gulf, bay, or large lake.

   “The rocky coast of Maine has few beaches.”

2. The side or edge of something.

   “And the Coaſt towards which the lines KL and VX are drawn, may be call’d the Coaſt of unuſual Refraction.”

3. A region of land; a district or country.

   “Then Herod perceavynge that he was moocked off the wyse men, was excedynge wroth, and sent forth and slue all the chyldren that were in bethleem, and in all the costes thereof […]”

   “P. Crescentius, in his lib. 1 de agric. cap. 5, is very copious in this subject, how a house should be wholesomely sited, in a good coast, good air, wind, etc.”

4. A region of the air or heavens.

   “the learned Merlin, well could tell, / Vnder what coast of heauen the man did dwell […]”

verb

Etymology: Etymology tree Latin costa Latin costicāreder. Old French costoierbor. Middle English costeien English coast From Middle English costeien (“to travel along a border or coast; to go alongside (something), skirt; to accompany, follow; to travel across, traverse; to be adjacent to, to border;”) [and other forms], from Anglo-Norman [Term?], Old French costoier (“to be at the side of”) […] (modern French côtoyer (“to pass alongside; (figuratively) to rub shoulders”)), from Latin costicāre, from Latin costa (“rib; side, wall”); see further at etymology 1.

1. To glide along without adding energy; to allow a vehicle to continue moving forward after disengaging the engine or ceasing to apply motive power.

   “When I ran out of gas, fortunately I managed to coast into a nearby gas station.”

   “We steamed easily across the first part of the Tay Bridge, and then after passing over the long spans in mid-stream we coasted smoothly down the 1 in 114 gradient, and around the sweeping curve through Esplanade Station.”

2. To sail along a coast.

   “The Ancients coasted only in their Navigations.”

   “The bold little ships even broke through the Gates of Hercules to the open ocean, coasting then northward to take the gold of Ireland and the tin of Cornwall, as well as southward, around the bulge of Senegal, to remote Yorubaland and the distant marts of ivory, gold, and slaves.”

3. To make a minimal effort; to continue to do something in a routine way, without initiative or effort.

   “Yet the truth is that City would probably have been coasting by that point if the referee, Michael Oliver, had not turned down three separate penalties, at least two of which could be accurately described as certainties.”

   “Rehearsal goes reasonably. Wheeler long ago swore that he would never coast through a performance, and he plays decently well. But it seems to him as if a lot of the orchestra is distracted. Some cues get missed. He makes meaningful eye contact with the conductor a couple of times, and they share a frustrated look. When they break for dinner, late in the afternoon, the conductor, whose name is Luján, privately remarks to him, "Their eyes need fixing."”

4. To draw near to; to approach; to keep near, or by the side of.

   “Anon she hears them chant it lustily, / And all in haste she coasteth to the cry.”

   “The 25. day of the same moneth we fell with the Cape Cantin , vpon the coast of Barbarie , and coasting along , the 27. day we found an Island called Mogado”

5. To sail by or near; to follow the coastline of.

   “Nearchus, […] not knowing the compass, was fain to coast that shore.”

6. To conduct along a coast or river bank.

   “The Indians […] coasted me a long the river.”

7. To slide downhill; to slide on a sled upon snow or ice.