customer

English Online Dictionary. What means customer‎? What does customer mean?

English

Etymology

From Middle English customere, custommere, from Old French coustumier, costumier (compare modern French coutumier), from Medieval Latin custumarius (“a toll-gatherer, tax-collector”, noun), from custumarius (“pertaining to custom or customs”, adjective), from custuma (“custom, tax”). More at custom. By surface analysis, custom +‎ -er.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈkʌstəmə/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈkʌstəmɚ/

Noun

customer (plural customers)

1. (obsolete) A habitual patron, regular purchaser, returning client; a person or company who has a custom of buying from a particular business.
2. A patron, a client; a person or company who purchases or receives a product or service from a business or merchant, or intends to do so.

3. (informal) A person, especially one engaging in some sort of interaction with others.

   a cool customer, a tough customer, an ugly customer
4. (India, historical) A native official who exacted customs duties.
   • 1609, Danvers, Letters, i. 25; and comp. Foster, ibid. ii. 225

     His houses […] are seized on by the Customer.

   • 1682, Hedges, Diary [Hak. Soc. i. 33]

     The several affronts, insolences, and abuses dayly put upon us by Boolchund, our chief Customer

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

Anagrams

• costumer, suctomer