Category:Custom

Cus"tom (ks"tm), n. Etym: [OF. custume, costume, Anglo-Norman coustome, F. coutume, fr. (assumed) LL. consuetumen custom, habit, fr. L. consuetudo, -dinis, fr. consuescere to accustom, verb inchoative fr. consuere to be accustomed; con- + suere to be accustomed, prosuus one's own; akin to E. so, adv. Cf. Consuetude, Costume.]

1. Frequent repetition of the same act; way of acting common to many; ordinary manner; habitual practice; usage; method of doing or living. And teach customs which are not lawful. Acts 16:21. Moved beyong his custom, Gama said. Tennyson. A custom more honored in the breach than the observance. Shak.

2. Habitual buying of goods; practice of frequenting, as a shop, manufactory, etc., for making purchases or giving orders; business support. Let him have your custom, but not your votes. Addison.

3. (Law)

Defn: Long-established practice, considered as unwritten law, and resting for authority on long consent; usage. See, and.

Note: Usage is a fact. Custom is a law. There can be no custom without usage, though there may be usage without custom. Wharton.

4. Familiar aquaintance; familiarity. [Obs.] Age can not wither her, nor custom stale Her infinite variety. Shak. Custom of merchants, a system or code of customs by which affairs of commerce are regulated. -- General customs, those which extend over a state or kingdom. -- Particular customs, those which are limited to a city or district; as, the customs of London.

Syn. -- Practice; fashion. See, and.

custom Cus"tom, v. t. Etym: [Cf. OF. costumer. Cf. Accustom.]

1. To make familiar; to accustom. [Obs.] Gray.

2. To supply with customers. [Obs.] Bacon.

custom Cus"tom, v. i.

Defn: To have a custom. [Obs.] On a bridge he custometh to fight. Spenser.

custom Cus"tom, n. Etym: [OF. coustume, F. coutume, tax, i. e., the usual tax. See 1st Custom.]

Defn: 1 the customary toll,tax, or tribute. Render, therefore, to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom. Romans 13:7.

2. pl.

Defn: Duties or tolls imposed by law on commodities, imported or exported.

custom Cus"tom, v. t.

Defn: To pay the customs of. [Obs.] Marlowe.

---excerpt from the Illustrated Bible Dictionary.

Custom - A tax imposed by the Romans. The tax-gatherers were termed publicans (q.v.), who had their stations at the gates of cities, and in the public highways, and at the place set apart for that purpose, called the "receipt of custom" (Matthew 9:9; Mark 2:14), where they collected the money that was to be paid on certain goods (Matthew 17:25). These publicans were tempted to exact more from the people than was lawful, and were, in consequence of their extortions, objects of great hatred. The Pharisees would have no intercourse with them (Matthew 5:46, Matthew 5:47; Matthew 9:10, Matthew 9:11). A tax or tribute (q.v.) of half a shekel was annually paid by every adult Jew for the temple. It had to be paid in Jewish coin (Matthew 22:17; Mark 12:14, Mark 12:15). Money-changers (see money broker) (q.v.) were necessary, to enable the Jews who came up to Jerusalem at the feasts to exchange their foreign coin for Jewish moneybut as it was forbidden by the law to carry on such a traffic for emolument (Deuteronomy 23:19, Deuteronomy 23:20), our Lord drove them from the temple (Matthew 21:12; Mark 11:15).