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Inch vs Coast - What's the difference?

inch | coast | Related terms |

Inch is a related term of coast.


As nouns the difference between inch and coast

is that inch is a unit of length equal to one twelfth of a foot, or exactly 254 centimetres or inch can be (scotland) a small island while coast is (obsolete) the side or edge of something.

As verbs the difference between inch and coast

is that inch is (followed by a preposition) to advance very slowly, or by a small amount (in a particular direction) while coast is to glide along without adding energy.

inch

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl) (ang) ynce, from (etyl) . Compare ounce.

Noun

(es)
  • A unit of length equal to one twelfth of a foot, or exactly 2.54 centimetres.
  • (meteorology) The amount of water which would cover a surface to the depth of an inch, used as a measurement of rainfall.
  • The amount of an alcoholic beverage which would fill a glass or bottle to the depth of an inch.
  • (figuratively) A very short distance.
    • "Don't move an inch !"
  • * Shakespeare
    • Beldame, I think we watched you at an inch .
    Derived terms
    * every inch * * inch-perfect

    Verb

    (es)
  • (followed by a preposition) To advance very slowly, or by a small amount (in a particular direction).
    • Fearful of falling, he inched along the window ledge.
  • * 1957 , :
  • *:The window blind had been lowered — Zooey had done all his bathtub reading by the light from the three-bulb overhead fixture—but a fraction of morning light inched under the blind and onto the title page of the manuscript.
  • * {{quote-news
    • , year=2012 , date=May 9 , author=John Percy , title=Birmingham City 2 Blackpool 2 (2-3 on agg): match report , work=the Telegraph citation , page= , passage=Already guarding a 1-0 lead from the first leg, Blackpool inched further ahead when Stephen Dobbie scored from an acute angle on the stroke of half-time. The game appeared to be completely beyond Birmingham’s reach three minutes into the second period when Matt Phillips reacted quickly to bundle the ball past Colin Doyle and off a post.}}
  • To drive by inches, or small degrees.
  • * Dryden
    • He gets too far into the soldier's grace / And inches out my master.
  • To deal out by inches; to give sparingly.
    • Derived terms
    * inch along * inch forward * inch up * inchworm

    See also

    * thou * mil

    Etymology 2

    From Gaelic (innis)

    Noun

    (es)
  • (Scotland) A small island
  • * Sir Walter Scott, Rosabelle
    • The blackening wave is edged with white; / To inch and rock the sea-mews fly.

    Usage notes

    * Found especially in the names of small Scottish islands, e.g. (Inchcolm), (Inchkeith).

    Anagrams

    * English intransitive verbs

    coast

    English

    (wikipedia coast)

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (obsolete) The side or edge of something.
    • (Sir Isaac Newton)
  • The edge of the land where it meets an ocean, sea, gulf, bay, or large lake.
    • The rocky coast of Maine has few beaches.
  • (obsolete) A region of land; a district or country.
  • * 1526 , Bible , tr. William Tyndale, Matthew 2:
    • Then Herod perceavynge that he was moocked off the wyse men, was excedynge wroth, and sent forth and slue all the chyldren that were in bethleem, and in all the costes thereof […].
  • *, II.ii.3:
    • P. Crescentius, in his lib.'' 1 ''de agric. cap. 5, is very copious in this subject, how a house should be wholesomely sited, in a good coast , good air, wind, etc.
  • (obsolete) A region of the air or heavens.
  • * 1590 , Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene , III.iii:
    • the learned Merlin, well could tell, / Vnder what coast of heauen the man did dwell […].

    Hypernyms

    * shore, shoreline

    Hyponyms

    * oceanfront, seashore

    Derived terms

    * coast fox * coast guard, coastguard * coast rat * coast-to-coast * coastal * coaster * coastland * coastline * coastward * coastwatcher * coastwise

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To glide along without adding energy.
    • When I ran out of gas, fortunately I managed to coast into a nearby gas station.
  • (nautical) To sail along a coast.
  • * Arbuthnot
    • The ancients coasted only in their navigation.
  • Applied to human behavior, to make a minimal effort, to continue to do something in a routine way. This implies lack of initiative and effort.
  • * November 2 2014 , Daniel Taylor, " Sergio Agüero strike wins derby for Manchester City against 10-man United," guardian.co.uk
    • Yet the truth is that City would probably have been coasting by that point if the referee, Michael Oliver, had not turned down three separate penalties, at least two of which could be accurately described as certainties.
  • (obsolete) To draw near to; to approach; to keep near, or by the side of.
  • * Shakespeare
    • Anon she hears them chant it lustily, / And all in haste she coasteth to the cry.
    (Hakluyt)
  • (obsolete) To sail by or near; to follow the coastline of.
  • * Sir Thomas Browne
    • Nearchus, not knowing the compass, was fain to coast that shore.
  • (obsolete) To conduct along a coast or river bank.
  • * Hakluyt
    • The Indians coasted me along the river.
  • (US, dialect) To slide downhill; to slide on a sled upon snow or ice.

    • Anagrams

    * * * * * *