different between say vs custom

English

Pronunciation

• enPR: s?, IPA^(key): /se?/
• Rhymes: -e?

Etymology 1

From Middle English seyen, seien, seggen, from Old English se??an (“to say, speak”), from Proto-West Germanic *saggjan, from Proto-Germanic *sagjan? (“to say”), from Proto-Indo-European *sok?-h?-yé-, a suffixed o-grade form of *sek?- (“to tell, talk”).

Cognate with West Frisian sizze (“to say”), Dutch zeggen (“to say”), German sagen (“to say”), Danish sige (“to say”), Norwegian Bokmål si (“to say”), Norwegian Nynorsk seia (“to say”), Swedish säga (“to say”).

The adverb and interjection are from the verb.

Alternative forms

• saie, saye, seye (obsolete)
• thay, zay (pronunciation spelling)

Verb

say (third-person singular simple present says, present participle saying, simple past and past participle said)

1. (transitive) To pronounce.

2. (transitive) To recite.
3. (transitive) To tell, either verbally or in writing.
   • 2016, VOA Learning English (public domain)

     I want to say I’m sorry for yesterday. — It’s okay, Anna.

4. (transitive) To indicate in a written form.

5. (impersonal, transitive) To have a common expression; used in singular passive voice or plural active voice to indicate a rumor or well-known fact.
   • 1815, George Gordon Byron, The Hebrew Melodies/They say that Hope is happiness:

     They say that Hope is happiness; But genuine Love must prize the past.

   • 1819, Great Britain Court of Chancery, Reports of Cases Argued and Determined in the High Court of Chancery, page 8:

     It is said, a bargain cannot be set aside upon inadequacy only.

   • 1841, Christopher Marshall, The Knickerbocker (New-York Monthly Magazine), page 379:

     It’s said that fifteen wagon loads of ready-made clothes for the Virginia troops came to, and stay in, town to-night.

6. (informal, imperative, transitive) Suppose, assume; used to mark an example, supposition or hypothesis.

   Say your family is starving and you don't have any money, is it okay to steal some food?

   • 1984, Martin Amis, Money: a suicide note

     I've followed Selina down the strip, when we're shopping, say, and she strolls on ahead, wearing sawn-off jeans and a wash-withered T-shirt […]

7. (intransitive) To speak; to express an opinion; to make answer; to reply.
8. (transitive, informal, of a possession, especially money) To bet as a wager on an outcome; by extension, used to express belief in an outcome by the speaker.

Conjugation

Synonyms

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

say (plural says)

1. A chance to speak; the right or power to influence or make a decision.

Translations

Adverb

say (not comparable)

1. For example; let us assume.

Interjection

say

1. (colloquial) Used to gain someone's attention before making an inquiry or suggestion

Synonyms

• (used to gain attention): hey

References

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

Etymology 2

From Middle French saie, from Latin saga, plural of sagum (“military cloak”).

Noun

say (countable and uncountable, plural says)

1. A type of fine cloth similar to serge.

Etymology 3

Aphetic form of assay.

Verb

say (third-person singular simple present says, present participle saying, simple past and past participle sayed)

1. To try; to assay.

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

Noun

say (plural says)

1. Trial by sample; assay; specimen.
   • 1594, Richard Hooker, Of the Lawes of Ecclesiastical Politie, page 193

     If those principal works of God […] be but certain tastes and says, as if were, of that final benefit.
2. Tried quality; temper; proof.
3. Essay; trial; attempt.

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

Etymology 4

Noun

say (plural says)

1. (Scotland) A strainer for milk.

Anagrams

• AYs, ays, yas

Azerbaijani

Etymology 1

Deverbal of saymaq.

Noun

say (definite accusative say?, plural saylar)

1. number, quantity, count

   Synonyms: ?d?d, r?q?m

2. (grammar) numeral
3. (colloquial) value, importance

Etymology 2

From Proto-Turkic *say.

Noun

say (definite accusative say?, plural saylar)

1. shallow, shoal

Declension

Crimean Tatar

Noun

say

1. shallow place, island

Declension

References

• Mirjejev, V. A.; Usejinov, S. M. (2002) Ukrajins?ko-kryms?kotatars?kyj slovnyk [Ukrainian – Crimean Tatar Dictionary]?^[4], Simferopol: Dolya, ?ISBN

Middle English

Noun

say

1. Alternative form of assay

Portuguese

Verb

say

1. Obsolete spelling of sai

Tatar

Noun

say

1. area covered with stones

Turkish

Verb

say

1. second-person singular imperative of saymak

Vietnamese

Etymology

From Proto-Vietic *p-ri? (“drunk”); cognate with Muong khay, Arem p?r??.

Pronunciation

• (Hà N?i) IPA^(key): [saj??]
• (Hu?) IPA^(key): [?aj??]
• (H? Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): [?a(?)j??] ~ [sa(?)j??]

Verb

say • (????)

1. to be drunk; to be inebriated
2. (by extension) to be (car, sea, etc.) sick
3. (figuratively) to be enamoured of; to take a deep interest in

Derived terms

Adjective

say

1. deep (of sleep); fast asleep

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.