from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Coast \Coast\ (k[=o]st), n. [OF. coste, F. c[^o]te, rib, hill,
shore, coast, L. costa rib, side. Cf. {Accost}, v. t.,
{Cutlet}.]
1. The side of a thing. [Obs.] --Sir I. Newton.
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2. The exterior line, limit, or border of a country; frontier
border. [Obs.]
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From the river, the river Euphrates, even to the
uttermost sea, shall your coast be. --Deut. xi.
24.
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3. The seashore, or land near it.
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He sees in English ships the Holland coast.
--Dryden.
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We the Arabian coast do know
At distance, when the species blow. --Waller.
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{The coast is clear}, the danger is over; no enemy in sight.
--Dryden. Fig.: There are no obstacles. "Seeing that the
coast was clear, Zelmane dismissed Musidorus." --Sir P.
Sidney.
{Coast guard}.
(a) A body of men originally employed along the coast to
prevent smuggling; now, under the control of the
admiralty, drilled as a naval reserve. [Eng.]
(b) The force employed in life-saving stations along the
seacoast. [U. S.]
{Coast rat} (Zool.), a South African mammal ({Bathyergus
suillus}), about the size of a rabbit, remarkable for its
extensive burrows; -- called also {sand mole}.
{Coast waiter}, a customhouse officer who superintends the
landing or shipping of goods for the coast trade. [Eng.]
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