1. [n]  accepted or habitual practice
2. [n]  habitual patronage
3. [n]  a specific practice of long standing
4. [n]  money collected under a tariff
5. [adj]  of clothing

1. \Cus"tom\ (k[u^]s"t[u^]m), n. [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, prob. originally,
   to make one's own, fr. the root of suus 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 beyond 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) 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}.
   

2. \Cus"tom\, v. t. [Cf. OF. costumer. Cf. {Accustom}.]
   1. To make familiar; to accustom. [Obs.] --Gray.
   2. To supply with customers. [Obs.] --Bacon.
   

3. \Cus"tom\, v. i.
   To have a custom. [Obs.]
         On a bridge he custometh to fight.       --Spenser.
   

4. \Cus"tom\, n. [OF. coustume, F. coutume, tax, i. e., the
   usual tax. See 1st {Custom}.]
   1. The customary toll, tax, or tribute.
            Render, therefore, to all their dues: tribute to
            whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom. --Rom.
                                                  xiii. 7.
   2. pl. Duties or tolls imposed by law on commodities,
      imported or exported.
   

5. \Cus"tom\, v. t.
   To pay the customs of. [Obs.] --Marlowe.
   

a tax imposed by the Romans. The tax-gatherers were termed publicans (q.v.), who had their stations at the gates of cities, and in the public highways, and at the place set apart for that purpose, called the "receipt of custom" (Matt.9: 9; Mark 2:14), where they collected the money that was to be paid on certain goods (Matt.17:25). These publicans were tempted to exact more from the people than was lawful, and were, in consequence of their extortions, objects of great hatred. The Pharisees would have no intercourse with them (Matt.5:46, 47; 9:10, 11).

A tax or tribute (q.v.) of half a shekel was annually paid by every adult Jew for the temple. It had to be paid in Jewish coin (Matt. 22:17-19; Mark 12:14, 15). Money-changers (q.v.) were necessary, to enable the Jews who came up to Jerusalem at the feasts to exchange their foreign coin for Jewish money; but as it was forbidden by the law to carry on such a traffic for emolument (Deut. 23:19, 20), our Lord drove them from the temple (Matt. 21:12: Mark 11:15).