Etymology : Middle English custume, from Old French, from Latin consuetudin-, consuetudo, from consuescere to accustom, from com- + suescere to accustom; akin to suus ones own; more at SUICIDE
Pronunciation : k&s-t&m
Function : noun
Date : 13th century
1. habit; tradition; convention. made to individual order. custom\cus"tom\, v. i. to have a custom. [obs.] on a bridge he custometh to fight.custom \cus"tom\, n. [of. coustume, f. coutume, tax, i. e., the usual tax. see:
1st custom.].
2. the customary toll, tax, or tribute. render, therefore, to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom. xiii.
3. 2. pl. duties or tolls imposed by law on commodities, imported or exported.custom \cus"tom\, v. t. to pay the customs of. [obs.]custom \cus"tom\ (kŭs"tŭm), n. [of. custume, costume, anglo-norman coustome, f. coutume, fr. (assumed) ll. consuetumen custom, habit, fr. l. consuetudo, -dinis, fr. consuescere to accustom, verb inchoative fr. consuere to be accustomed; con- + suere to be accustomed, prob. originally, to make one's own, fr. the root of suus one's own; akin to e. so, adv. cf. consuetude, costume.].
4. frequent repetition of the same act; way of acting common to many; ordinary manner; habitual practice; usage; method of doing or living. and teach customs which are not lawful. xvi.
5. moved beyond his custom, gama said. a custom more honored in the breach than the observance.
6. habitual buying of goods; practice of frequenting, as a shop, manufactory, etc., for making purchases or giving orders; business support. let him have your custom, but not your votes.
7. (law) long-established practice, considered as unwritten law, and resting for authority on long consent; usage. see:
usage, and prescription.note: usage is a fact. custom is a law. there can be no custom without usage, though there may be usage without custom.
8. familiar aquaintance; familiarity. [obs.] age can not wither her, nor custom stale her infinite variety.custom of merchants, a system or code of customs by which affairs of commerce are regulated.
9. Frequent repetition of the same act; way of acting common to many; ordinary manner; habitual practice; usage; method of doing or living.
10. Habitual buying of goods; practice of frequenting, as a shop, manufactory, etc., for making purchases or giving orders; business support.
11. Long-established practice, considered as unwritten law, and resting for authority on long consent; usage.
12. See Usage, and Prescription.
13. Familiar aquaintance; familiarity.
14. To make familiar; to accustom.
15. To supply with customers.
16. To have a custom.
17. The customary toll, tax, or tribute.
18. Duties or tolls imposed by law on commodities, imported or exported.
19. To pay the customs of. accepted or habitual practice habitual patronage; "I have given this tailor my custom for many years" a specific practice of long standing.
20. 1. A custom is an activity, a way of behaving, or an event which is usual or traditional in a particular society or in particular circumstances. The custom of lighting the Olympic flame goes back centuries Chung has tried to adapt to local customs.
21. If it is your custom to do something, you usually do it in particular circumstances. It was his custom to approach every problem cautiously.
22. If a shop has your custom, you regularly buy things there. You have the right to withhold your custom if you so wish see also:
customs. custom products or services are specially designed and made for a particular person. In law, long-established practice common to many or to a particular place or institution and generally recognized as having the force of law. In England during the Anglo-Saxon period, local customs formed most laws affecting family rights, ownership and inheritance, contracts, and violence between individuals. The Norman conquerors granted the validity of customary law, adapting it to their feudal system. In the 13th and 14th centuries, English law was given statutory authority under the crown, making the "customs of the realm" England's common law. See also culture; folklore; myth; taboo.