Coastal: Belonging to the Edge of the Sea
Coastal means relating to or near a coast. It is the adjective planners, sailors and ecologists all reach for, and it covers a surprisingly wide strip of land and water.
Coastal describes anything belonging to the meeting place of land and sea. The strip it names has no fixed width: coastal defence may cover a few metres of wall, while coastal waters can extend many miles offshore under law.
- Near or on a coast. *A coastal village.*
- Of the sea near land. *Coastal waters.*
- Along a coast. *A coastal path.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Adjective | coastal | Coastal erosion. |
| Noun | coast | The south coast. |
| Verb | coast | Coast down the hill. |
| Person | coastguard | The coastguard was called. |
| Adjective | inland | An inland town. |
How it is used in a sentence
- Coastal erosion has taken three metres this decade.The standard term in planning reports.
- The coastal path runs for 630 miles.Describing the South West Coast Path in England.
- Coastal flooding is expected with the spring tide.Warning language from weather services.
Words for the edge of the sea
- Coast — where land meets sea, seen from the land
- Shore — the land along the water's edge, of sea or lake
- Beach — the sand or shingle strip itself
- Littoral — the technical term for the zone between high and low tide
- Seaboard — a whole coastline of a country, as in the eastern seaboard
From *coast*, from Old French *coste*, from Latin *costa*, a rib or side. The land was described as the side of the sea, and the same root gives cutlet and, surprisingly, the verb to coast — originally to sail along a shoreline without effort.
Coastal or coastline?
Coastal is the adjective. Coastline is the noun for the shape of the coast, often measured in kilometres.
Why does coast also mean freewheel?
From sailing along the coast without rowing. The sense of moving without effort came from that, and moved on to bicycles and cars.