Etymograph

English

custom

Custom comes from Middle English custume, from Anglo-Norman custume, from Latin cōnsuētūdō ‘custom, habit’, from cōnsuēscō ‘to accustom’.

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsuēscō1‘to become accustomed’
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcōnsuēscō1‘to accustom’
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcōnsuētūdō1‘custom, habit’
  4. Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400custume1
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500custume1‘a convention, tradition’
  6. Englishearliest quotation c. 1589–1590custom1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English custom
  2. 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

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsuēscōWiktionary, English custom‘to become accustomed’
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcōnsuēscōWiktionary, English custom‘to accustom’
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcōnsuētūdōWiktionary, English custom‘custom, habit’
  4. Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400custumeWiktionary, English custom
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500custumeWiktionary, English custom‘a convention, tradition’
  6. 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.

Full etymology on Wiktionary

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