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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/.
  1. (italics) Latin. a custodian.
  2. a superior in the Franciscan order.
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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.
  1. a custodian or guardian of morals; censor.
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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

  • 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 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.

British Dictionary definitions for custos

custos

noun plural custodes (kʌˈstəʊdiːz)
  1. a superior in the Franciscan religious orderAlso called (in England): guardian
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Word Origin

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