customer

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.

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈkʌstəmə/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈkʌstəmɚ/

customer (plural customers)

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

   Every person who passes by is a potential customer.

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

   a cool customer, a tough customer, an ugly customer

   • 1971, Herman Wouk, chapter 52, in The Winds of War:

     Pug could just see Slote's pale face under his fur hat. "I don't agree with you on that. He's a pretty tough customer, Hopkins."

   • 2020 January 2, Philip Haigh, “Ten eventful years and plenty of talking points”, in Rail, page 54:

     This switch led to Philip Hammond becoming the Transport Secretary and he quickly proved to be a tricky customer, asking questions about rail spending and reining it back whenever possible.

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.

   • 1615, Sir T. Roe, Hak. Soc. i. 44:

     The Customer should come and visit them.

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

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

• costumer