Plural of costa; anatomical ribs or rib-like structures found in various organisms and structures.
Latin plural of costa meaning 'rib,' adopted directly into medical and anatomical terminology; the singular form remains in English anatomical language.
Doctors use the Latin word 'costae' instead of just saying 'ribs' because ancient anatomists learned from Latin texts, and the formal term stuck—it's medical tradition frozen in language.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.