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consuetude

[ kon-swi-tood, -tyood ]
/ ˈkɒn swɪˌtud, -ˌtyud /
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See synonyms for consuetude on Thesaurus.com
noun
custom, especially as having legal force.
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Origin of consuetude

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Old French consuetude, a learned borrowing or Latinism from Latin consuētūd(o), “custom, habit, usage, social intercourse, illicit affair,” equivalent to con- con- + suē- (root of suēscere “to accustom, become accustomed,” akin to suus “one's own”) + -tūdō -tude

Words nearby consuetude

construed, consubstantial, consubstantiate, consubstantiation, Consuela, consuetude, consuetudinary, consul, consular, consular agent, consulate
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to consuetude

familiarity, habit, habitude, manner, practice, praxis, tradition, usage, usance

How to use consuetude in a sentence

  • I remember myself so to have done, and that is my common on consuetude when anything pierceth or toucheth my heart.

    Familiar Studies of Men and Books|Robert Louis Stevenson

  • For the present he swept the skies leisurely, feasting on the infinite wonders which no consuetude could render commonplace.

    The Mayor of Warwick|Herbert M. Hopkins

  • I remember myself so to have done, and that is my common consuetude when anything pierceth or toucheth my heart.

    The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Swanston Edition Vol. 3 (of 25)|Robert Louis Stevenson

  • I remember myself to have so done, and that is my common consuetude when anything pierceth or toucheth my heart.

    John Knox|A. Taylor Innes

British Dictionary definitions for consuetude

consuetude
/ (ˈkɒnswɪˌtjuːd) /
noun
an established custom or usage, esp one having legal force

Derived forms of consuetude

consuetudinary, adjective

Word Origin for consuetude

C14: from Latin consuētūdō, from consuēscere to accustom, from con- + suēscere to be wont
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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