costus

C3O1S1T1U1S1
UK/ˈkɒstəs/

noun

A perennial tropical herbaceous plant of the genus Costus (family Costaceae).

OriginLatin costus ← Ancient Greek κόστος ← Sanskrit कुष्ठ →
RareScrabble 8
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Meanings

nouncostus (plural costuses)

plural costuses

  1. A perennial tropical herbaceous plant of the genus Costus (family Costaceae).
  2. Saussurea costus, a composite growing on the Himalayas in the vicinity of Kashmir, or its root.

Origin

  1. Sanskritकुष्ठ
  2. Ancient Greekκόστος
  3. Latincostus
  4. Englishcostus

Learned borrowing from Latin costus, from Ancient Greek κόστος (kóstos), from Sanskrit कुष्ठ (kuṣṭha).

More words from Latin, Ancient Greek, Sanskrit

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Ancient Greek κόστος
  • κόστος (kóstos)Saussurea costus
Arabic قُسْط, قُسْط
  • قُسْط (qusṭ)perennial tropical herbaceous plant of the genus Costus
  • قُسْط (qusṭ)Saussurea costus
Japanese 木香
  • 木香 (mokkou)Saussurea costus

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

scoutsSCOTUScustos
Cite this entry
APA

costus. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/costus

MLA

“costus.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/costus. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “costus,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/costus.

Source: costus on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.