Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “customer” come from?

Customer comes from Middle English customere, from Old French coustumier, from Medieval Latin custumarius, from Latin custumarius, derived from Latin custuma meaning tax or toll.

customer (English): A patron, a client; one who purchases or receives...

Definitions

  1. A patron, a client; one who purchases or receives...

Ancestry of “customer”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishcustumer—
2Old Frenchcoustumier—
3Medieval Latincustumariusa toll-gatherer, tax-collector; pertaining to...
4Latincustumacustom, tax

Words derived from “customer”

  • noncustomer
  • customership
  • multicustomer
  • customerless
  • cust
  • customerlike
  • custie
  • cwsmer
  • cwsmeres
  • ikhasimende
Every word from Latin custuma →