The Collaborative International Dictionary
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.]
The side of a thing. [Obs.]
--Sir I. Newton.-
The exterior line, limit, or border of a country; frontier border. [Obs.]
From the river, the river Euphrates, even to the uttermost sea, shall your coast be.
--Deut. xi. 24. -
The seashore, or land near it. He sees in English ships the Holland coast. --Dryden. We the Arabian coast do know At distance, when the species blow. --Waller. 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 body of men originally employed along the coast to prevent smuggling; now, under the control of the admiralty, drilled as a naval reserve. [Eng.]
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The force employed in life-saving stations along the seacoast. [U. S.]
Coast rat (Zo["o]l.), 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.]