2. Judicial or penal safe-keeping. Jailer, take him to thy custody. Shak.
3. State of being guarded and watched to prevent escape; restraint of liberty; confinement; imprisonment. What pease will be given To us enslaved, but custody severe, And stripes and arbitrary punishment Milton.
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 xvi. 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 Usage, and Prescription.
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 Habit, and Usage.