custom

/ˈkʌstəm/

/ˈkʌstəm/

Other forms: customs

If something has been done a certain way for a long time and has become generally accepted, it's a custom. Asking strangers for candy on one night a year would seem strange if it weren't an established custom.

If you have been imprisoned in a far off country when you were just trying to blend in, you might have misunderstood the local customs. Custom can be traced back to the Latin verb consuescere, meaning "to accustom," in other words "to get used to." Custom can also describe something that you order made just the way you want it. Your five-seated bicycle is very original; was it custom-made?

Definitions of custom

1. noun

   accepted or habitual practice
   synonyms: usage, usance

   types:

   Americanism

   a custom that is peculiar to the United States or its citizens

   Anglicism, Britishism

   a custom that is peculiar to England or its citizens

   consuetude

   a custom or usage that has acquired the force of law

   couvade

   a tradition in some cultures where a father whose baby is being born acts like he is also in labor

   Germanism

   a custom that is peculiar to Germany or its citizens

   habit, use

   (psychology) an automatic pattern of behavior in reaction to a specific situation; may be inherited or acquired through frequent repetition

   hijab

   the custom in some Islamic societies of women dressing modestly outside the home

   rite, ritual

   any customary observance or practice

   ritual

   stereotyped behavior

   second nature

   acquired behavior that is practiced so long it seems innate

   betrothal, espousal

   the act of becoming betrothed or engaged

   marriage, marriage ceremony, wedding

   the act of marrying; the nuptial ceremony

   rite of passage

   a ritual performed in some cultures at times when an individual changes status (as from adolescence to adulthood)

   cleanliness

   the habit of keeping free of superficial imperfections

   type of:

   pattern, practice

   a customary way of operation or behavior

   survival

   something that survives
2. noun

   a specific practice of long standing
   synonyms: tradition

   types:

   habit, wont

   an established custom

   Hadith

   (Islam) a tradition based on reports of the sayings and activities of Muhammad and his companions

   institution

   a custom that for a long time has been an important feature of some group or society

   levirate

   the biblical institution whereby a man must marry the widow of his childless brother in order to maintain the brother's line

   type of:

   practice

   knowledge of how something is usually done
3. adjective

   made according to the specifications of an individual
   synonyms: custom-made

   bespoke, bespoken, made-to-order, tailor-made, tailored

   (of clothing) custom-made

   custom-built, made-to-order

   built for a particular individual
4. noun

   money collected under a tariff
   synonyms: customs, customs duty, impost

   types:

   ship money

   an impost levied in England to provide money for ships for national defense

   type of:

   duty, tariff

   a government tax on imports or exports
5. noun

   habitual patronage
   “I have given this tailor my custom for many years”

   type of:

   patronage, trade

   the business given to a commercial establishment by its customers