custom: [12] Custom comes ultimately from Latin consuēscere, a compound verb formed from the intensive prefix com- and suēscere ‘become accustomed’. This in turn was derived from suī, the genitive singular of the reflexive pronoun suus ‘oneself’; the notion underlying its formation was therefore ‘that which is one’s own’, a semantic element echoed in Greek ethos ‘custom, usage, trait’, which was based ultimately on Indo-European *swe- ‘oneself’.
From consuēscere was formed the Latin noun consuētūdō ‘being accustomed’ (source of the English legal noun consuetude ‘custom’ [14]). This passed into early Old French as *costudne, which developed via *costumne to custome, the form borrowed into Middle English (English costume came from the same ultimate source, but via Italian costume).
The word’s original sense, ‘habitual practice’, developed various secondary associations, including ‘customary tax’ (whence customs duties) and ‘customary business patronage’ (whence customer). The derivative accustom [15] was borrowed from Anglo-Norman acustumer. => accustom, costume
custom (n.)
c. 1200, "habitual practice," from Old French costume "custom, habit, practice; clothes, dress" (12c., Modern French coutume), from Vulgar Latin *consuetumen, from Latin consuetudinem (nominative consuetudo) "habit, usage, way, practice, tradition, familiarity," from consuetus, past participle of consuescere "accustom," from com-, intensive prefix (see com-), + suescere "become used to, accustom oneself," related to sui, genitive of suus "oneself," from PIE *swe- "oneself" (see idiom). Replaced Old English þeaw. Sense of a "regular" toll or tax on goods is early 14c. The native word here is toll.
custom (adj.)
"made to measure or order," c. 1830, from custom (n.).
双语例句
1. It was his invariable custom to have one whisky before his supper.
晚饭前来杯威士忌，这是他一直以来的习惯。
来自柯林斯例句
2. Furniture can also be custom-made to suit your own requirements.
你也可以按照自己的要求定制家具。
来自柯林斯例句
3. The married women of Shitamachi maintained the custom of blackening their teeth.
下町的已婚女性还保留着把牙齿涂黑的习俗。
来自柯林斯例句
4. This custom was still current in the late 1960s.
这种习俗在20世纪60年代末仍然很普遍。
来自柯林斯例句
5. When they conquered Britain, the Romans brought this custom with them.
