different between commerce vs custom

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French commerce, from Latin commercium.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /?k?m.?s/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?k?m.?s/, (dated) /k??m??s/

Noun

commerce (countable and uncountable, plural commerces)

1. (business) The exchange or buying and selling of commodities; especially the exchange of merchandise, on a large scale, between different places or communities; extended trade or traffic.
2. Social intercourse; the dealings of one person or class in society with another; familiarity.
   • 1881, Robert Louis Stevenson, Virginibus Puerisque:

     Suppose we held our converse not in words, but in music; those who have a bad ear would find themselves cut off from all near commerce, and no better than foreigners in this big world.

3. (obsolete) Sexual intercourse.
   • 1648, Walter Montagu Miscellanea Spiritualia, or Devout Essaies

     these perillous commerces of our love

4. An 18th-century French card game in which the cards are subject to exchange, barter, or trade.

Synonyms

• trade, traffic, dealings, intercourse, interchange, communion, communication
• See also Thesaurus:copulation

Derived terms

• chamber of commerce
• commercial

Translations

Verb

commerce (third-person singular simple present commerces, present participle commercing, simple past and past participle commerced)

1. (intransitive, archaic) To carry on trade; to traffic.
   • 1599, Ben Jonson, Every Man out of His Humour

     Beware you commerce not with bankrupts.

2. (intransitive, archaic) To hold intercourse; to commune.
   • ?, Alfred Tennyson, Walking to the Mail

     commercing with himself

   • 1844, John Wilson, Essay on the Genius, and Character of Burns

     Musicians […] taught the people in angelic harmonies to commerce with heaven.

Further reading

• commerce in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• commerce in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

French

Etymology

From Middle French commerce, borrowed from Latin commercium (“commerce, trade”), from com- (“together”) + merx (“good, wares, merchandise”); see merchant, mercenary.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /k?.m??s/

Noun

commerce m (plural commerces)

1. commerce, trade
2. store, shop, trader

Derived terms

• commercial

See also

• négoce

Further reading

• “commerce” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Louisiana Creole French

Etymology

From French commerce (“commerce”).

Noun

commerce

1. business, commerce

References

• Alcée Fortier, Louisiana Folktales

English

Etymology

From Middle English custume, borrowed from Anglo-Norman custume, from Old French coustume, from a Vulgar Latin *c?nsu?t?men or *cost?men, from Latin c?nsu?t?dinem, accusative singular of c?nsu?t?d? (“custom, habit”), from c?nsu?sc? (“accustom, habituate”), from con- (“with”) + su?sc? (“become used or accustomed to”). First element con- derives from cum, from Old Latin com, from Proto-Italic *kom, from Proto-Indo-European *?óm (“with, along”). Second element su?sc? is from Proto-Indo-European *swe-d?h?-sk-, from *swé (“self”) + *d?eh?- (“to put, place, set”); related to Latin suus (“one's own, his own”). Displaced native Middle English wune, wone (“custom, habit, practice”) (from Old English wuna (“custom, habit, practice, rite”)), Middle English side, sid (“custom”) (from Old English sidu, sido (“custom, note, manner”)), Middle English cure (“custom, choice, preference”) (from Old English cyre (“choice, choosing, free will”)). Doublet of costume and consuetude.

Adjective form circa 1830.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?k?st?m/

Noun

custom (countable and uncountable, plural customs)

1. Frequent repetition of the same behavior; way of behavior common to many; ordinary manner; habitual practice; method of doing, living or behaving.
   • Moved beyond his custom, Gama said
2. Traditional beliefs or rituals

3. (Britain) Habitual buying of goods; practice of frequenting, as a shop, factory, etc., for making purchases or giving orders; business support.
   • September 28, 1710, Joseph Addison, The Whig Examiner No. 3

     Let him have your custom, but not your votes.

4. (law) Long-established practice, considered as unwritten law, and resting for authority on long consent; usage. See Usage, and Prescription.
5. (obsolete) Familiar acquaintance; familiarity.
6. (archaic, uncountable) Toll, tax, or tribute.
   • 1769, Bible, Authorised King James Version, Oxford standard text, Romans, xiii, 7:

     Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.

Synonyms

Translations

Adjective

custom (not comparable)

1. Created under particular specifications, specially to fit one's needs: specialized, unique, custom-made.

   My feet are very large, so I need custom shoes.

2. Own, personal, not standard or premade.

   We can embroider a wide range of ready designs or a custom logo.

3. (archaic) Accustomed; usual.

Derived terms

• custom-made
• custom-written

Related terms

• custom made

See also

• Thesaurus:custom-made

Translations

Verb

custom (third-person singular simple present customs, present participle customing, simple past and past participle customed)

1. (transitive, obsolete) To make familiar; to accustom.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Gray to this entry?)

2. (transitive, obsolete) To supply with customers.
3. (transitive, obsolete) To pay the customs of.
4. (intransitive, obsolete) To have a custom.

Related terms

• consuetude
• costumal
• costume
• customary
• customer
• customization
• customize

Further reading

• custom in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• custom in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.