custom

a practice followed as a matter of course among a people; a habitual practice of an individual: It is her custom to take a walk every night before dinner.

Not to be confused with:

costume – a style of clothing typical of a particular time, country, or people; a set of clothes appropriate for a particular occasion: a Halloween costume

cus·tom

(kŭs′təm)

a. A traditional practice or usual way of doing something followed by a social group or people.

b. The tradition or body of such practices: The respect that is by custom accorded to the king.

a. A habitual practice of a person: my custom of reading a little before sleep. See Synonyms at habit.

b. Habitual manner or practice: I am not by custom a coffee drinker.

3. Law A common tradition or usage so long established that it has the force or validity of law.

4. Habitual patronage, as of a store: tried to obtain the custom of the wealthiest shoppers.

5. customs

a. Duties or taxes imposed on imported and, less commonly, exported goods.

b. (used with a sing. verb) The governmental agency authorized to collect these duties.

c. (used with a sing. verb) The place where goods and baggage entering a country are inspected by this agency: go through customs.

6. Tribute, service, or rent paid by a feudal tenant to a lord.

adj.

1. Made to order: custom suits.

2. Specializing in the making or selling of made-to-order goods: a custom tailor.

[Middle English

custume

, from Old French

costume

, from Vulgar Latin *

cōnstūm(i)n-

, alteration of Latin

cōnsuētūdin-

, oblique stem of

cōnsuētūdō

, custom, from

cōnsuētus

, past participle of

cōnsuēscere

, to accustom :

com-

, intensive prefix; see com- +

suēscere

, to become accustomed; see

s(w)e-

in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

custom

(ˈkʌstəm)

1. a usual or habitual practice; typical mode of behaviour

2. (Sociology) the long-established habits or traditions of a society collectively; convention: custom dictates good manners.

3. (Law)

a. a practice which by long-established usage has come to have the force of law

b. such practices collectively (esp in the phrase custom and practice)

4. (Commerce) habitual patronage, esp of a shop or business

5. (Commerce) the customers of a shop or business collectively

6. (Historical Terms) (in feudal Europe) a tribute paid by a vassal to his lord

adj

7. made to the specifications of an individual customer (often in the combinations custom-built, custom-made)

8. specializing in goods so made

[C12: from Old French costume, from Latin consuētūdō, from consuēscere to grow accustomed to, from suēscere to be used to]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

cus•tom

(ˈkʌs təm)

1. a habitual practice; the usual way of acting in given circumstances.

2. habits or usages collectively; convention.

3. a practice so long established that it has the force of law.

4. such practices collectively.

5. customs,

a. (used with a sing. or pl. v.) duties imposed by law on imported or, sometimes, exported goods.

b. (used with a sing. v.) the government department that collects these duties.

c. (used with a sing. v.) the section of an airport, station, etc., where baggage is checked for contraband and for goods subject to duty.

6. regular patronage of a shop, restaurant, etc.

7. customers or patrons collectively.

8. a customary tax, tribute, or service due by feudal tenants to their lord.

adj.

9. made specially for individual customers: custom shoes.

10. dealing in things so made, or doing work to order: a custom tailor.

[1150–1200; Middle English custume < Anglo-French; Old French costume < Vulgar Latin *consuētūminem, for Latin consuētūdinem, acc. of consuētūdō habit]

syn: custom, habit, practice mean an established way of doing things. custom, applied to a community or to an individual, implies a more or less permanent way of acting reinforced by tradition and social attitudes: the custom of giving gifts at Christmas. habit, applied particularly to an individual, implies such repetition of the same action as to develop a natural, spontaneous, or rooted tendency or inclination to perform it: He has an annoying habit of interrupting the speaker. practice applies to a regularly followed procedure or pattern in conducting activities: It is his practice to verify all statements.

habit

– custom

1. 'habit'

A habit is something that a person does often or regularly.

He had a nervous habit of biting his nails.

Try to get out of the habit of adding unnecessary salt in cooking.

2. 'custom'

A custom is something that people in a society do at a particular time of year or in a particular situation.

It is the custom to take chocolates or fruit when visiting a patient in hospital.

My wife likes all the old English customs.

Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun	1.	custom - accepted or habitual practice usage, usance practice, pattern - a customary way of operation or behavior; "it is their practice to give annual raises"; "they changed their dietary pattern" Americanism - a custom that is peculiar to the United States or its citizens Anglicism, Britishism - a custom that is peculiar to England or its citizens consuetude - a custom or usage that has acquired the force of law couvade - a custom among some peoples whereby the husband of a pregnant wife is put to bed at the time of bearing the child Germanism - a custom that is peculiar to Germany or its citizens habit, use - (psychology) an automatic pattern of behavior in reaction to a specific situation; may be inherited or acquired through frequent repetition; "owls have nocturnal habits"; "she had a habit twirling the ends of her hair"; "long use had hardened him to it" hijab - the custom in some Islamic societies of women dressing modestly outside the home; "she observes the hijab and does not wear tight clothing" survival - something that survives ritual, rite - any customary observance or practice
	2.	custom - a specific practice of long standing tradition practice - knowledge of how something is usually done; "it is not the local practice to wear shorts to dinner" habit, wont - an established custom; "it was their habit to dine at 7 every evening" Hadith - (Islam) a tradition based on reports of the sayings and activities of Muhammad and his companions institution - a custom that for a long time has been an important feature of some group or society; "the institution of marriage"; "the institution of slavery"; "he had become an institution in the theater"
	3.	custom - money collected under a tariff customs, customs duty, impost tariff, duty - a government tax on imports or exports; "they signed a treaty to lower duties on trade between their countries" ship money - an impost levied in England to provide money for ships for national defense
	4.	custom - habitual patronage; "I have given this tailor my custom for many years" trade, patronage - the business given to a commercial establishment by its customers; "even before noon there was a considerable patronage"
Adj.	1.	custom - made according to the specifications of an individual custom-made

custom

noun

1. tradition, practice, convention, ritual, form, policy, rule, style, fashion, usage, formality, etiquette, observance, praxis, unwritten law The custom of lighting the Olympic flame goes back centuries.

3. customers, business, trade, patronage Providing discounts is not the only way to win custom.

Quotations
"Custom reconciles us to everything" [Edmund Burke The Origin of our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful]
"a custom"
"More honoured in the breach than the observance" [William Shakespeare Hamlet]

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

custom

noun

1. A habitual way of behaving:

consuetude, habit, habitude, manner, practice, praxis, usage, usance, use, way, wont.

2. The commercial transactions of customers with a supplier:

adjective

Made according to the specifications of the buyer:

Translations

زِبانه، تعامُل مع مَتْجَرعادَه، عُرْفعُرْف

zákaznícizvykzvyklost

skikstamkundervanekundekreds

harjumuskommetava

tapakäytäntö

običaj

vevõkör

venja, vaniviîskipti

風習

관습

įprastaiįprotismuitasmuitinėpaprastai

klientūraparadumsparažapastāvīgi pircēji

carinanavada

sed

ขนบธรรมเนียม

phong tục

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

custom

[ˈkʌstəm]

(= social convention) → coutume f

custom

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

custom

(ˈkastəm) noun

1. what a person etc is in the habit of doing or does regularly. It's my custom to go for a walk on Saturday mornings; religious customs.

2. the regular buying of goods at the same shop etc; trade or business. The new supermarkets take away custom from the small shops.

ˈcustomary adjective

habitual; usually done etc. It is customary to eat turkey for Christmas dinner.

ˈcustomarily adverbˈcustomer noun

1. a person who buys from a shop etc. our regular customers.

2. used jokingly for a person. a strange customer.

ˈcustoms noun plural

1. (the government department that collects) taxes paid on goods coming into a country. Did you have to pay customs on those watches?; He works for the customs; (also adjective) customs duty.

2. the place at a port etc where these taxes are collected. I was searched when I came through customs at the airport.

custom

→ عُرْف zvyklost skik Brauch έθιμο costumbre tapa coutume običaj costume 風習 관습 gewoonte sedvane zwyczaj costume обычай sed ขนบธรรมเนียม adet phong tục 习惯

custom

n. costumbre, hábito.