Customer and Costume Both Come From Custom
A custom is a traditional practice. The same word gave English the customer who habitually returns and the costume worn by habit.
A custom is an established way of behaving. Two unlikely relatives grew from it: a *customer* is one who habitually comes back, and *costume* is the same Latin word arriving through Italian, meaning the habitual dress of a place or period. Even the customs at a border are named for customary dues.
- A traditional practice. *Local custom.*
- Habitual trade. *We value your custom.*
- Made to order. *A custom build.*
- Customs — border duties. *Cleared customs.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | custom | An old custom. |
| Plural | customs | Local customs. |
| Adjective | customary | Customary practice. |
| Person | customer | A regular customer. |
| Related | costume | A period costume. |
How it is used in a sentence
- It is the custom here.Tradition.
- Thank you for your custom.British: your trade.
- A custom-built machine.Made to order.
Words from *consuescere*, to accustom
- Custom — an established practice
- Customer — a habitual buyer
- Costume — the habitual dress of a place or era
- Accustomed — used to something
- Customs — the duties customarily payable
From Old French *costume*, from Latin *consuetudinem*, habit, from *consuescere*, to accustom. Italian returned the same word to English as *costume*.
Are custom and costume the same word?
Yes, arriving twice. Custom came through Old French, costume through Italian several centuries later.
Why is a border check called customs?
From customary dues: the duties traditionally payable on goods entering a territory.