English
custom
Custom comes from Middle English custume, from Anglo-Norman custume, from Latin cōnsuētūdō ‘custom, habit’, from cōnsuēscō ‘to accustom’.
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsuēscō1‘to become accustomed’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcōnsuēscō1‘to accustom’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcōnsuētūdō1‘custom, habit’
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400custume1
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500custume1‘a convention, tradition’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1589–1590custom1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English custom
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1589–1590, Christopher Marlowe, The Famous Tragedy of the Rich Iew of Malta. […]: “Barabas, thy ships are safe, Riding in Malta Rhode;…”.
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsuēscōWiktionary, English custom‘to become accustomed’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcōnsuēscōWiktionary, English custom‘to accustom’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcōnsuētūdōWiktionary, English custom‘custom, habit’
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400custumeWiktionary, English custom
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500custumeWiktionary, English custom‘a convention, tradition’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1589–1590customWiktionary, English custom. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1589–1590, Christopher Marlowe, The Famous Tragedy of the Rich Iew of Malta. […]: “Barabas, thy ships are safe, Riding in Malta Rhode;…”
The story
The adjectival form first appears c. 1830.
Word family
English words that share an ancestor with custom, grouped by the ancestor they share, most familiar first.
through Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- ‘to do’
- do ← don ← dōn ← *dōn ← *dōną
- fact ← factum ← factus ← faciō
- deal ← delen ← dǣlan ← *dailijan ← *dailijaną
- hot ← hāt ← *hait ← *haitaz ← *kéHidos
- fair ← feyre ← foire ← fēriae ← *fēziās
- defense ← defens ← defens ← dēfēnsa ← dēfendō
- fan ← fanatic ← fānāticu
- benefit ← benefytt
- fashion ← facioun ← fechoun
- feature ← feture ← feture ← faiture ← factūra
- mid ← midd ← *midi ← *midjaz ← *médʰyos
- theme ← teme ← teme
161 more relatives in the full family tree
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Today it means
noun Frequent repetition of the same behavior; way of behavior common to many; ordinary manner; habitual practice; method of doing, living or behaving.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “custom”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Latin suēscō / custom