circa 1200, custume, "habitual practice" (of an individual, or a nation, or community)
from Old French costume "custom, habit, practice; clothes, dress"
custom is a doublet of costume
For an infinitely more lucid (clear) alternative to custom, see habit. Compare to way.
“Eventually, after observing many different ways and customs, she saw an underlying pattern: The same mechanisms that animated her parents seemed to hold many others hostage, merely manifesting in different ways. The surface or the appearance diversified, while the underlying principle kept repeating.”
"Originals"
~☉~ | lucid definition; added layer of lucidity, or aethereal context |
⚜ | classic definition |
☣ | artificium definition; usually words which have undergone a warped evolution, or a complete perversion of the original sense |