costa
The definitions used in this glossary of terminology either have been provided by the authors of the articles, or have been extracted wholly or in part, or paraphrased from the following sources: The American Medical Association Encyclopedia of Medicine, Charles B. Clayman, MD, Medical Editor, Random House, New York, 1989; Biotechnology from A to Z, 2d Edition, William Bains, Oxford University Press, New York, New York, 2002; A Dictionary of Genetics, 6th Edition, Robert C. King and William D. Stansfield, Oxford University Press, New York, New York, 2002; Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary, 29th and 30th Editions, W. B. Saunders Company, Philadelphia, 2000, 2003; Genes VII, Benjamin Lewin, Oxford University Press, New York, New York, 2000; The Gale Encyclopedia of Genetic Disorders, Volumes I and II, Stacey L. Blachford, Ed., Thomson Learning, New York, New York, 2002; The Merriam-Webster Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Inc., Springfield, Massachusetts, 1997; Molecular Biology of the Cell, 3rd Edition, Bruce Alberts, et al., Garland Publishing, 1994; The Random House Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged Edition, 1966; Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary, 1991.
DEFINITION:
- costa
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1. Rib: any one of the paired elastic arches of bone, twelve on either side (costa I - costa XII), extending from the thoracic vertebrae toward the median line on the anterior aspect of the trunk; they form the major part of the thoracic skeleton. The upper seven (I-VII) are called costae verae (true ribs) and are connected anteriorly with the sternum; the lower five (VIII-XII) are called costae spuriae (false ribs) and are not connected directly with the sternum.
2. The bony part of a rib.
3. A rodlike structure extending along the base of the undulating membrane in certain flagellate protozoa, such as trichomonads.
Used in 1 Article body
Used in 1 Article body