custom
custom
Pronunciation
custom
/ˈkʌstəm/
cus-: /kʌs/
-tom: /təm/
Word Form Variations
Noun:
Singular: custom
Plural: customs
Adjective:
custom
Verb: (as in "to custom-make" or "to custom-fit")
Base form: custom
Present participle: customing
Past tense: customed
Past participle: customed
Third-person singular present: customs
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Noun
A traditional and widely accepted way of behaving or doing something specific to a particular society, place, or time.
Synonyms: tradition, practice, habit, convention, usage, ritual
Antonyms: anomaly, deviation, innovation, novelty, irregularity
The support given by customers to a business, especially when habitual or regular.
Synonyms: patronage, business, trade, clientele
Antonyms: disfavor, neglect, abandonment
(Plural: customs) The official department that administers and collects the duties levied on imported goods.
Synonyms: excise, tariff, duty, import tax, toll
Antonyms: (No direct antonyms for this specific governmental function, but one could consider "free trade" as a conceptual opposite.)
Adjective
Made or done to order for a particular customer; tailor-made or personalized.
Synonyms: bespoke, customized, personalized, made-to-order, tailored
Antonyms: standard, ready-made, off-the-rack, generic, mass-produced
Verb
(Often used in compound verbs like "custom-make" or "custom-build") To make or modify something according to a particular specification or individual requirement.
Synonyms: customize, personalize, tailor, modify, adapt
Antonyms: standardize, generalize, mass-produce, prefabricate
Examples of Use
Books:
"It was the custom of the family to gather around the fireplace on winter evenings, sharing stories and warmth." (From a novel describing a family tradition)
"In ancient Rome, it was a common custom for victorious generals to parade their spoils through the city." (From a history textbook on Roman civilization)
Newspapers:
"The local council is reviewing a long-standing custom of offering free parking on weekends to boost town center trade." (Local newspaper, The Daily Herald)
"Luxury car manufacturers are seeing a surge in demand for custom interiors, allowing buyers to personalize every detail of their vehicles." (The Wall Street Journal)
Online Publications:
"Many digital artists offer custom portrait commissions, allowing clients to have unique artwork created specifically for them." (Art blog, Creative Canvas)
"The e-commerce giant announced new import customs procedures that aim to streamline international shipping for online retailers." (Tech news website, Gizmodo)
Various Entertainment Mediums and Platforms:
Film: A character in a period drama might say, "It is our custom to greet visitors with a ceremonial tea." (Dialogue from a historical film)
Video Game: A game might offer a " Custom Character Creation" mode, allowing players to design their in-game avatar from scratch. (Feature in a role-playing video game)
Music: A band might release a custom-designed vinyl record with unique artwork and packaging for their loyal fans. (Announcement on a band's social media, November 2023)
Television Series: A detective might visit a "customs" office to track down illegal shipments, as seen in many crime dramas. (Scene in a police procedural series)
General Public Discourse:
"We had a custom cake made for the wedding – it had three tiers and was decorated with edible flowers." (Conversation among friends)
"It's a local custom to bring a small gift when visiting someone's home for the first time." (Discussing cultural norms)
"I need to declare these items at customs when I land." (Traveler discussing airport procedures)
"That furniture shop specializes in custom-built pieces, so you can get exactly what you want." (Shopping conversation)
10 Quotes Using Custom
" Custom is the great guide of human life." (David Hume)
"Old customs are not easily broken." (Thomas Fuller)
" Custom is second nature." (Montaigne)
"Force, and not opinion, is the queen of the world; but opinion is that which makes use of force. It is custom, too, that makes us believe it." (Blaise Pascal)
"I am an anachronism. I have a quaint custom of treating women as ladies." (Groucho Marx)
" Custom reconciles us to everything." (Edmund Burke)
"All custom is the offspring of genius, or of custom." (Ralph Waldo Emerson)
" Custom, then, is the great guide of human life." (Adam Smith)
"The custom of the country is the rule of the court." (Legal maxim)
"Every artist has a custom that he may not depart from." (Goethe, Maxims and Reflections)
Etymology
The word "custom" has a long and interesting history, tracing its roots back to Latin.
Imagine a simple, everyday action that people repeat so often it becomes a regular habit, like walking a certain path every day. In Latin, the word for "habit" or "usage" was "consuetudo." This word came from the verb "consuescere," which essentially meant "to get used to something" or "to accustom oneself." You can see how the idea of doing something repeatedly until it feels normal is embedded right there.
From Latin, "consuetudo" traveled into Old French, where it became "costume" (around the 12th century). At this point, "costume" still carried the meaning of a "habit, practice, or custom," but it also started to mean "clothes" or "dress," in the sense of the customary attire.
Eventually, this Old French "costume" made its way into Middle English, appearing as "custume" before 1200. Its earliest known meaning in English was "habitual practice," referring to a repeated behavior, either by an individual or a whole community.
Over time, the meaning of "custom" broadened to include:
A traditional way of behaving: This is the most common understanding of "custom" today, like "it's the custom to shake hands."
The practice of buying from a specific business: This is where we get the idea of a business having "good custom" or a "loyal customer."
Taxes on imported goods: This is why we have "customs" at the border – it's a tax that was historically collected based on the customary way of trade.
Something made to order: The adjective "custom" (as in "custom-made") came much later, around the 1830s, evolving from the idea of something being made according to a customer's specific habits or desires.
So, in a nutshell, "custom" started out as simply "getting used to something" and grew to describe everything from personal habits and societal traditions to international trade taxes and personalized products!
Phrases + Idioms Containing Custom
Custom-made: (adjective phrase) Made specifically to individual specifications.
Custom-built: (adjective phrase) Constructed uniquely for a particular purpose or client.
Custom-fit: (adjective phrase/verb) Designed or altered to fit a specific person or object perfectly.
More honored in the breach than the observance: (idiom, from Shakespeare) Referring to a custom or rule that is more often ignored than followed.
As is the custom: (phrase) Indicating that something is happening according to established practice.
By custom: (phrase) Done due to tradition or long-standing habit.
To break with custom: (idiom) To act in a way that goes against established traditions or practices.
To follow custom: (idiom) To adhere to traditional ways of doing things.
A matter of custom: (phrase) Something done out of habit or tradition rather than strict rule.
Good custom: (phrase) Referring to a steady flow of business or patronage.
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of custom from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
