custos

[kuhs-tos; Latin koo s-tohs]

noun, plural cus·to·des

[kuh-stoh-deez; Latin koo s-toh-des] /kʌˈstoʊ diz; Latin kʊsˈtoʊ dɛs/.

(italics) Latin. a custodian.
a superior in the Franciscan order.

Origin of custos

1425–75; late Middle English < Medieval Latin

custos morum

[koo s-tohs moh-roo m; English kuhs-tos mawr-uh m, mohr-]

noun, plural cus·to·des mo·rum

[koo s-toh-des moh-roo m; English kuh-stoh-deez mawr-uh m, mohr-] /kʊsˈtoʊ dɛs ˈmoʊ rʊm; English kʌˈstoʊ diz ˈmɔr əm, ˈmoʊr-/. Latin.

a custodian or guardian of morals; censor.

Origin of custos morum

literally, guardian of established usages, laws, etc.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for custos

Historical Examples of custos

An early name for the custos maris, or he who guards the sea-coast.
The Sailor's Word-Book
William Henry Smyth
The agitation caused by the Schut and Custos affair had subsided.
A Winter Amid the Ice
Jules Verne
A halfhour later he handed to the Custos what he had written.
No Defense, Complete
Gilbert Parker
The Custos read it all over slowly and carefully, weighing every word.
No Defense, Complete
Gilbert Parker
This was the Monument of Randulfus Pulvertoft custos caronelle.
The Works of Sir Thomas Browne
Thomas Browne

British Dictionary definitions for custos

custos

noun plural custodes (kʌˈstəʊdiːz)

a superior in the Franciscan religious orderAlso called (in England): guardian

Word Origin for custos

C15: from Latin: keeper, guard

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