custom

Pronunciation: /ˈkʌstəm/

Reading level: medium

Estimated CEFR level: A2 — Elementary

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun accepted or habitual practice
  2. noun a specific practice of long standing
  3. noun money collected under a tariff

Etymology

PIE word *ḱóm PIE word *swé From Middle English custume, borrowed from Anglo-Norman custume, inherited from Latin consuētūdinem, a noun derived from cōnsuēscō, from con- (“with”) + suēscō (“become used or accustomed to”). Displaced native Old English ġewuna. Doublet of costume, consuetude, and kastom. The adjectival form first appears c. 1830.

In classic literature

Synonyms

usage, usance

Semantic network

Broader (hypernyms)
practice, survival
Narrower (hyponyms)
hijab, consuetude, americanism, couvade, germanism, ritual

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