Definition of the word costume

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Costume is the distinctive style of dress or cosmetic of an individual or group that reflects class, gender, profession, ethnicity, nationality, activity or epoch. In short costume is a cultural visual of the people.

The term also was traditionally used to describe typical appropriate clothing for certain activities, such as riding costume, swimming costume, dance costume, and evening costume. Appropriate and acceptable costume is subject to changes in fashion and local cultural norms.^[1]

«But sable is worn more in carriages, lined with real lace over ivory satin, and worn over some smart costume suitable for an afternoon reception.» A Woman’s Letter from London (23 November 1899).^[2]

This general usage has gradually been replaced by the terms «dress», «attire», «robes» or «wear» and usage of «costume» has become more limited to unusual or out-of-date clothing and to attire intended to evoke a change in identity, such as theatrical, Halloween, and mascot costumes.

Before the advent of ready-to-wear apparel, clothing was made by hand. When made for commercial sale it was made, as late as the beginning of the 20th century, by «costumiers», often women who ran businesses that met the demand for complicated or intimate female costume, including millinery and corsetry.^[3]

Etymology[edit]

Costume comes from the same Italian word, inherited via French, which means fashion or custom.^[4]

National costume[edit]

National costume or regional costume expresses local (or exiled) identity and emphasizes a culture’s unique attributes. They are often a source of national pride.^[5] Examples include the Scottish kilt, Turkish Zeybek, or Japanese kimono.

In Bhutan there is a traditional national dress prescribed for men and women, including the monarchy. These have been in vogue for thousands of years and have developed into a distinctive dress style. The dress worn by men is known as Gho which is a robe worn up to knee-length and is fastened at the waist by a band called the Kera. The front part of the dress which is formed like a pouch, in olden days was used to hold baskets of food and short dagger, but now it is used to keep cell phone, purse and the betel nut called Doma. The dress worn by women consist of three pieces known as Kira, Tego and Wonju. The long dress which extends up to the ankle is Kira. The jacket worn above this is Tego which is provided with Wonju, the inner jacket. However, while visiting the Dzong or monastery a long scarf or stoll, called Kabney is worn by men across the shoulder, in colours appropriate to their ranks. Women also wear scarfs or stolls called Rachus, made of raw silk with embroidery, over their shoulder but not indicative of their rank.^[6]

Theatrical costume[edit]

«Costume» often refers to a particular style of clothing worn to portray the wearer as a character or type of character at a social event in a theatrical performance on the stage or in film or television. In combination with other aspects of stagecraft, theatrical costumes can help actors portray characters’ and their contexts as well as communicate information about the historical period/era, geographic location and time of day, season or weather of the theatrical performance. Some stylized theatrical costumes, such as Harlequin and Pantaloon in the Commedia dell’arte, exaggerate an aspect of a character.

Costume construction[edit]

A costume technician is a term used for a person that constructs and/or alters the costumes.^[7] The costume technician is responsible for taking the two dimensional sketch and translating it to create a garment that resembles the designer’s rendering. It is important for a technician to keep the ideas of the designer in mind when building the garment.^[8]

Draping and cutting[edit]

Draping is the art of manipulating the fabric using pins and hand stitching to create structure on a body. This is usually done on a dress form to get the adequate shape for the performer.^[9] Cutting is the act of laying out fabric on a flat surface, using scissors to cut and follow along a pattern. These pieces are put together to create a final costume.^[10]

Pros and cons of draping[edit]

• It is easier to visualize the finished product
• It is hard to keep the fabric symmetric
• You are able to drape in your fashion fabric rather than making a muslin mockup
• Draping makes it difficult to replicate for multiple people
• There are no needs for patterns
• It can be hard to keep the grain of the fabric straight
• There is less waste when using the specific fabric from the start

^[10][11]

Pros and cons of cutting[edit]

• You are able to create your own pattern to fit a certain size
• You may need instructions to piece the fabric together
• It is easier to control the grain of the fabric as well as symmetry
• There is more ability to create many of the same garment
• The measurements can be very accurate
• It takes time to see the final product

^[10][11]

Jobs[edit]

Costume Designer[edit]

The job of a costume designer is to design and create a concept for the costumes for the play or performance.

Costume Technician[edit]

The job of a costume technician is to construct and pattern the costumes for the play or performance.^[7]

Wardrobe Supervisor[edit]

The wardrobe supervisor oversees the wardrobe crew and run of the show from backstage. They are responsible for maintaining the good condition of the costumes.^[12]

Millinery[edit]

Millinery also known as hatmaking is the manufacturing of hats and headwear.^[13]

Religious festivals[edit]

The wearing of costumes is an important part of holidays developed from religious festivals such as Mardi Gras (in the lead up to Easter), and Halloween (related to All Hallow’s Eve). Mardi Gras costumes usually take the form of jesters and other fantasy characters; Halloween costumes traditionally take the form of supernatural creatures such as ghosts, vampires, pop-culture icons and angels. Christmas costumes typically portray characters such as Santa Claus (developed from Saint Nicholas). In Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States the American version of a Santa suit and beard is popular; in the Netherlands, the costume of Zwarte Piet is customary. Easter costumes are associated with the Easter Bunny or other animal costumes.

In Judaism, a common practice is to dress up on Purim. During this holiday, Jews celebrate the change of their destiny. They were delivered from being the victims of an evil decree against them and were instead allowed by the King to destroy their enemies. A quote from the Book of Esther, which says: «On the contrary» (Hebrew: ונהפוך הוא) is the reason that wearing a costume has become customary for this holiday.

Buddhist religious festivals in Tibet, Bhutan, Mongolia and Lhasa and Sikkim in India perform the Cham dance, which is a popular dance form utilising masks and costumes.^[14][15][16]

Parades and processions[edit]

Parades and processions provide opportunities for people to dress up in historical or imaginative costumes. For example, in 1879 the artist Hans Makart designed costumes and scenery to celebrate the wedding anniversary of the Austro-Hungarian Emperor and Empress and led the people of Vienna in a costume parade that became a regular event until the mid-twentieth century. Uncle Sam costumes are worn on Independence Day in the United States. The Lion Dance, which is part of Chinese New Year celebrations, is performed in costume. Some costumes, such as the ones used in the Dragon Dance, need teams of people to create the required effect.

Sporting events and parties[edit]

Public sporting events such as fun runs also provide opportunities for wearing costumes, as do private masquerade balls and fancy dress parties.

Mascots[edit]

Costumes are popularly employed at sporting events, during which fans dress as their team’s representative mascot to show their support. Businesses use mascot costumes to bring in people to their business either by placing their mascot in the street by their business or sending their mascot out to sporting events, festivals, national celebrations, fairs, and parades. Mascots appear at organizations wanting to raise awareness of their work. Children’s Book authors create mascots from the main character to present at their book signings. Animal costumes that are visually very similar to mascot costumes are also popular among the members of the furry fandom, where the costumes are referred to as fursuits and match one’s animal persona, or «fursona».

Children[edit]

Costumes also serve as an avenue for children to explore and role-play. For example, children may dress up as characters from history or fiction, such as pirates, princesses, cowboys, or superheroes. They may also dress in uniforms used in common jobs, such as nurses, police officers, or firefighters, or as zoo or farm animals. Young boys tend to prefer costumes that reinforce stereotypical ideas of being male, and young girls tend to prefer costumes that reinforce stereotypical ideas of being female.^[17]

Cosplay[edit]

Cosplay, a word of Japanese origin that in English is short for «costume display» or «costume play», is a performance art in which participants wear costumes and accessories to represent a specific character or idea that is usually always identified with a unique name (as opposed to a generic word). These costume wearers often interact to create a subculture centered on role play, so they can be seen most often in play groups, or at a gathering or convention. A significant number of these costumes are homemade and unique, and depend on the character, idea, or object the costume wearer is attempting to imitate or represent. The costumes themselves are often artistically judged to how well they represent the subject or object that the costume wearer is attempting to contrive.

Design[edit]

Costume design is the envisioning of clothing and the overall appearance of a character or performer. Costume may refer to the style of dress particular to a nation, a class, or a period. In many cases, it may contribute to the fullness of the artistic, visual world that is unique to a particular theatrical or cinematic production. The most basic designs are produced to denote status, provide protection or modesty, or provide visual interest to a character. Costumes may be for, but not limited to, theater, cinema, or musical performances. Costume design should not be confused with costume coordination, which merely involves altering existing clothing, although both processes are used to create stage clothes.

Organizations[edit]

The Costume Designers Guild’s international membership includes motion picture, television, and commercial costume designers, assistant costume designers and costume illustrators, and totals over 750 members.

The National Costumers Association is an 80 year old association of professional costumers and costume shops.

Publications[edit]

The Costume Designer is a quarterly magazine devoted to the costume design industry.^[18]

Notable designers and awards[edit]

Notable costume designers include recipients of the Academy Award for Best Costume Design, Tony Award for Best Costume Design, and Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Costume Design. Edith Head and Orry-Kelly, both of whom were born late in 1897, were two of Hollywood’s most notable costume designers.

DIY and homemade costumes[edit]

In the 20th century, contemporary fabric stores offered commercial patterns that could be bought and used to make a costume from raw materials. Some companies also began producing catalogs with great numbers of patterns.

More recently, and particularly with the advent of the Internet, the DIY movement has ushered in a new era of DIY costumes and pattern sharing. YouTube, Pinterest, Mashable also feature many DIY costumes.

Industry[edit]

Professional-grade costumes are typically designed and produced by costume companies who can design and create unique costumes. These companies have often been in business for over 100 years, and continue to work with individual clients to create professional quality costumes.

Professional costume houses rent and sell costumes for the trade. This includes companies that create mascots, costumes for film, TV costumes and theatrical costumes.

Larger costume companies have warehouses full of costumes for rental to customers.

There is an industry where costumers work with clients and design costumes from scratch. They then will create original costumes specifically to the clients specifications.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

External links[edit]

• http://costumesocietyamerica.com/
• The Costume Society, UK
• National Costumers Association
• «Costume» . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 7 (11th ed.). 1911. pp. 224–248.

Recent Examples on the Web

The movie, director Raine Allen-Miller’s feature debut, takes its cue from Yas, the aspiring costume designer played by Vivian Oparah.


—Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 30 Mar. 2023




On stage, giant set pieces need to roll in and costume and light changes have to happen.


—Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 23 Mar. 2023




Music direction, Alexander Tom; orchestrations, Jonathan Tunick; set, Chika Shimizu; costumes and puppets, Helen Q. Huang; lighting, Oliver Wason; sound, Eric Norris.


—Peter Marks, Washington Post, 20 Mar. 2023




Some of her closest collaborators were part of this generation, too: Rolf Borzik, who designed costumes and sets and was also her partner, was born in 1944 in Poland and grew up largely in Germany.


—Jennifer Homans, The New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2023




The costume designer picked up all kinds of coats for Keough while putting together her wardrobe.


—Hedy Phillips, Peoplemag, 17 Mar. 2023




Roach styled Zendaya for her press tour for 2021 film Dune, creating looks inspired by the movie, and served as costume designer for her 2021 film Malcom & Marie.


—Conor Murray, Forbes, 16 Mar. 2023




The prototype includes a dark gray cover, which was designed by costume designer Esther Marquis, who worked on the TV series For All Mankind, but the actual suit will be white for thermal reasons.


—Georgina Torbet, The Verge, 15 Mar. 2023




At 21, Kansuma came home with trunks full of costumes and wigs and quickly opened her first studio in a downtown Los Angeles hotel.


—Anh Do, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2023

Soon, Pip is whisked away to London by a lawyer named Jaggers (a charismatically foreboding, vampirically costumed Ashley Thomas, his face covered in scars), who has been hired by Pip’s anonymous benefactor to assist the young man’s social mobility.


—Inkoo Kang, The New Yorker, 26 Mar. 2023




It was lavishly staged and costumed.


—Ron Grossman, Chicago Tribune, 19 Mar. 2023




For the holiday, she and husband Travis Barker dressed up as the notoriously evil duo, and Vogue has a closer look at what went into their custom couples costume.


—Christian Allaire, Vogue, 31 Oct. 2022




For the same reason, set and costume designer Zandra Rhodes omits site-specific attire in favor of bright costumes vaguely evocative of South Asia.


—Dallas News, 4 Apr. 2022




Set and costume designer Tom Pye created simple rooms for each of the principal characters—Virginia’s study, Laura’s kitchen—that rolled on and off stage, but the characters also ventured outside their own spaces and into each other’s.


—Heidi Waleson, WSJ, 29 Nov. 2022




The principal of a prominent Chicago high school has been removed from his duties over the handling of a student’s German military officer costume on Halloween.


—Marlene Lenthang, NBC News, 7 Nov. 2022




Nothing says couples costume quite like Catwoman and Batman!


—Kelsie Gibson, Peoplemag, 26 Sep. 2022




Attendees can wear a masquerade-style mask and/or costume to enter the MoonLit Masquerade contest; bonus points if the mask is literary-inspired.


—Tony Roberts, Baltimore Sun, 23 Sep. 2022

Women accentuated their costume gowns with rhinestones and shimmering speckles on and around their eyes.


—Nerisha Penrose, ELLE, 24 Mar. 2023




Although the show has many costume changes, Swift is only very briefly offstage during those roughly 195 minutes.


—Chris Willman, Variety, 19 Mar. 2023




Her efforts to spread kindness – and the size of her cards – grew in March of 2021, when Snyder donned a red costume cape during rush hour in the middle of Sapulpa, Oklahoma.


—Ashley R. Williams, USA TODAY, 11 Mar. 2023




There are a lot of costume shop ones that are really cheapie.


—Valli Herman, Los Angeles Times, 28 Feb. 2023




Cool, but not overwhelming and not too costume-y. Stand By Me was also a big influence for me.


—Carl Kelsch, Harper’s BAZAAR, 22 Feb. 2023




Her unpredictable works, unafraid of kitsch, are costume pageants with room for prayer, feats of endurance and bravery that don’t disguise awkwardness and vulnerability.


—Roslyn Sulcas, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2023




Dionne Warwick, six-time Grammy Award winner and music legend, presents the show with extraordinary singing, spectacular dancing and hundreds of costume changes.


—The Courier-Journal, 31 Mar. 2023




The company comprises opera singers, performers, dancers, musicians, set builders and costume designers who all work together to bring each production to life.


—Gabi De La Rosa, Chron, 20 Mar. 2023


See More

English[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Middle English costume, custume, from Old French costume, custume, from Italian costume, from a Vulgar Latin *cōnsuētūmen or *costūmen, from Latin cōnsuētūdinem, accusative singular of cōnsuētūdō (“custom, habit”). Doublet of consuetude and custom.

Verb circa 1823.

Pronunciation[edit]

• (UK, noun, verb) IPA^(key): /ˈkɒs.tjuːm/, /ˈkɒs.t͡ʃuːm/
• (General American, noun) IPA^(key): /ˈkɑsˌt(j)um/, /ˈkɑsˌt͡ʃum/, /ˈkɑs.tʊm/, /ˈkɑs.təm/
• (General American, verb) IPA^(key): /kɑsˈt(j)um/, /kɑsˈt͡ʃum/, /ˈkɑsˌt(j)um/, /ˈkɑsˌt͡ʃum/, /ˈkɑs.tʊm/, /ˈkɑs.təm/
• Rhymes: (noun, verb) -ɒstum, -ɒstjum, -ɒstʃum, -ɒstʊm, -ɒstəm, (verb) -uːm

Noun[edit]

costume (countable and uncountable, plural costumes)

1. A style of dress, including garments, accessories and hairstyle, especially as characteristic of a particular country, period or people.

   • 2019, Krissy Aguilar, “Liza Soberano Apologizes for Comments on ‘Black Face’”, in Philippine Daily Inquirer:

     The apology came after a netizen claimed Soberano was supposedly doing a black face, but the latter said, in defense, it was just a “costume.”

2. An outfit or a disguise worn as fancy dress etc.

   We wore gorilla costumes to the party.

3. A set of clothes appropriate for a particular occasion or season.

   The bride wore a grey going-away costume.

Usage notes[edit]

• Despite the meaning «traditional clothes,» costume may be considered pejorative by some cultures as a reference to their own traditional dress, owing to interference from the sense «fancy dress, disguise» (such as if their traditional dress has often been appropriated by others as fancy dress). For example, many Indigenous North Americans disfavour the term costume to refer to their traditional and ritual garments and prefer the term regalia.

Synonyms[edit]

• getup
• outfit

Derived terms[edit]

[edit]

• customary
• custom

Translations[edit]

See also[edit]

• uniform

Verb[edit]

costume (third-person singular simple present costumes, present participle costuming, simple past and past participle costumed)

1. To dress or adorn with a costume or appropriate garb.
   • 1847, Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre, Chapter XVIII

     Seated on the carpet, by the side of this basin, was seen Mr. Rochester, costumed in shawls, with a turban on his head. His dark eyes and swarthy skin and Paynim features suited the costume exactly. He looked the very model of an Eastern emir, an agent or a victim of the bowstring.

   • 1942 March, “Notes and News: Monument to a Stillborn Railway”, in Railway Magazine, page 88:

     «The Chengtu revolutionaries were fantastically colourful in the Szechwanese manner—they costumed themselves as heroes of the stage and their energies were chiefly occupied in tying ropes across the main streets so that when Imperial officials rode by in their litters they would have to get down and crawl under, losing face.

Translations[edit]

Further reading[edit]

• costume in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• “costume”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.

Anagrams[edit]

• custome

French[edit]

Etymology[edit]

PIE word
*ḱóm

PIE word
*swé

Borrowed from Italian costume, from a Vulgar Latin *cōnsuētūmen or *costūmen, from Latin cōnsuētūdinem, accusative singular of cōnsuētūdō (“custom, habit”), from cōnsuēscō (“accustom, habituate”), from con- (“with”) + suēscō (“become used or accustomed to”). First element con- derives from cum, from Old Latin com, from Proto-Italic *kom, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm (“with, along”). Second element suēscō is from Proto-Indo-European *swe-dʰh₁-sk-, from *swé (“self”) + *dʰeh₁- (“to put, place, set”); related to Latin suus (“one’s own, his own”). Doublet of coutume. Cognate with English costume and custom.

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): /kɔs.tym/

Noun[edit]

costume m (plural costumes)

1. a style of dress characteristic of a particular country, period or people
2. an outfit or a disguise worn as fancy dress
3. a set of clothes appropriate for a particular occasion or task
4. a suit worn by a man

[edit]

• coutume

Descendants[edit]

• → German: Kostüm
  • → Estonian: kostüüm
• → Romanian: costum
• → Russian: костю́м (kostjúm)
  • → Azerbaijani: kostyum
  • → Armenian: կոստյում (kostyum)
  • → Georgian: კოსტიუმი (ḳosṭiumi)
  • → Kazakh: костюм (kostüm)
  • → Kyrgyz: костюм (kostyum)
  • → Latvian: kostīms
  • → Lithuanian: kostiumas
  • → Mongolian: костюм (kostjüm)
  • → Turkmen: kostýum
  • → Uzbek: kostyum
  • → Yakut: көстүүм (köstüüm)
• → Turkish: kostüm

Verb[edit]

costume

1. inflection of costumer:
   1. first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
   2. second-person singular imperative

Further reading[edit]

• “costume”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Galician[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

• custume

Etymology[edit]

PIE word
*ḱóm

PIE word
*swé

From Old Galician-Portuguese costume, custume (13th century, Cantigas de Santa Maria); from Vulgar Latin *costūmen, *cōnsuētūmen, or *costūmen, from Latin cōnsuētūdinem, accusative singular of cōnsuētūdō (“custom, habit”), from cōnsuēscō (“accustom, habituate”), from con- (“with”) + suēscō (“become used or accustomed to”). First element con- derives from cum, from Old Latin com, from Proto-Italic *kom, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm (“with, along”). Second element suēscō is from Proto-Indo-European *swe-dʰh₁-sk-, from *swé (“self”) + *dʰeh₁- (“to put, place, set”); related to Latin suus (“one’s own, his own”). Cognate with Portuguese costume, French coutume, and Spanish costumbre.

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): [kosˈtumɪ]

Noun[edit]

costume m (plural costumes)

1. custom; tradition (traditional practice or behavior)

   Synonym: tradición

2. custom; habit (action done on a regular basis)
   • 1326, A. López Ferreiro (ed.), Fueros municipales de Santiago y de su tierra. Madrid: Ediciones Castilla, page 398:

     mandamos que enna friigesía que ouuer XV friigeses ou mays poucos, se non tomaren lobo ou loba ou camada delles, ou non correren cada domaa con elles sen enganno segundo que e de custume des o primeyro sabado de quaresma ata dia de Sam Joham de Juyo, ou non fezeren o ffogio, que pagen X mrs.

     We order that in the parish that has 15 parishioners or more, if they don’t catch a wolf or litter of them, or if they don’t raid them weekly without trickery, as it is used, since the first Saturday of Lent till Saint John’s day in June, or if they don’t build the pit, then they shall pay 10 mrs.

   Synonyms: hábito, uso

3. (law) custom (long-established practice, considered as unwritten law)
   • 1389, Enrique Cal Pardo (ed.), Colección diplomática medieval do arquivo da catedral de Mondoñedo. Santiago: Consello da Cultura Galega, page 206:

     que ouuo senpre de custume de non meter vinno de fora parte en esta vila et saluo que os visinnos da villa ouueren de sua lauoria et sua marra

     because it was the custom of this town not to introduce wine from the outside, except if the neighbours needed it and lacked it

References[edit]

• “costume” in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval, SLI — ILGA 2006–2022.
• “costume” in Xavier Varela Barreiro & Xavier Gómez Guinovart: Corpus Xelmírez — Corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval. SLI / Grupo TALG / ILG, 2006–2018.
• “costume” in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega, SLI — ILGA 2006–2013.
• “costume” in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega. Santiago: ILG.
• “costume” in Álvarez, Rosario (coord.): Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués, Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega.

Italian[edit]

Etymology[edit]

PIE word
*ḱóm

PIE word
*swé

From a Vulgar Latin *cōnsuētūmen or *costūmen, from Latin cōnsuētūdinem (“custom, habit”), from cōnsuēscō (“accustom, habituate”), from con- (“with”) + suēscō (“become used or accustomed to”). First element con- derives from cum, from Old Latin com, from Proto-Italic *kom, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm (“with, along”). Second element suēscō is from Proto-Indo-European *swe-dʰh₁-sk-, from *swé (“self”) + *dʰeh₁- (“to put, place, set”); related to Latin suus (“one’s own, his own”). Doublet of the borrowed consuetudine.

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): /koˈstu.me/
• Rhymes: -ume
• Hyphenation: co‧stù‧me

Noun[edit]

costume m (plural costumi)

1. a custom, habit

   Synonyms: usanza, uso, abitudine

2. a costume
3. a swimsuit

   Synonym: costume da bagno

Derived terms[edit]

• costume da bagno
• costume nazionale
• costumista
• in costume adamitico

Descendants[edit]

• → French: costume

Anagrams[edit]

• mescuto

Old French[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

• coustume
• custume

Etymology[edit]

PIE word
*ḱóm

PIE word
*swé

Related to Old French coustume, from a Vulgar Latin *cōnsuētūmen or *costūmen, from Latin cōnsuētūdinem, accusative singular of cōnsuētūdō (“custom, habit”), from cōnsuēscō (“accustom, habituate”), from con- (“with”) + suēscō (“become used or accustomed to”). First element con- derives from cum, from Old Latin com, from Proto-Italic *kom, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm (“with, along”). Second element suēscō is from Proto-Indo-European *swe-dʰh₁-sk-, from *swé (“self”) + *dʰeh₁- (“to put, place, set”); related to Latin suus (“one’s own, his own”).

Noun[edit]

costume m (oblique plural costumes, nominative singular costumes, nominative plural costume)

1. custom
   • circa 1200, author unknown, Aucassin et Nicolette

     il n’est mie costume que nos entrocions li uns l’autre.

     it is not our habit to kill each other.

Descendants[edit]

• English: costume, custom
• French: costume, coutume

Portuguese[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

• Hyphenation: cos‧tu‧me

Etymology 1[edit]

PIE word
*ḱóm

PIE word
*swé

From Old Galician-Portuguese costume, custume, from Vulgar Latin *cōstūmen, *cōnsuētūmen, or *costūmen, from Latin cōnsuētūdinem (“custom, habit”), from cōnsuēscō (“accustom, habituate”), from con- (“with”) + suēscō (“become used or accustomed to”). First element con- derives from cum, from Old Latin com, from Proto-Italic *kom, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm (“with, along”). Second element suēscō is from Proto-Indo-European *swe-dʰh₁-sk-, from *swé (“self”) + *dʰeh₁- (“to put, place, set”); related to Latin suus (“one’s own, his own”).

Noun[edit]

costume m (plural costumes)

1. custom; tradition (traditional practice or behavior)

   O costume de trazer um pinheiro para dentro de casa durante o Natal.

   The custom of bringing a pine tree inside the house during Christmas.

   Synonym: tradição

2. custom; habit (action done on a regular basis)

   Temos o costume de comer pão toda manhã.

   We have the habit of eating bread every morning.

   Synonym: hábito

3. (law) custom (long-established practice, considered as unwritten law)
4. outfit; costume (a set of clothes appropriate for a particular activity)

   Synonym: traje

Quotations[edit]

For quotations using this term, see Citations:costume.

Alternative forms[edit]

• custume (obsolete, now eye dialect)

Derived terms[edit]

• costumar
• costumeiro

Etymology 2[edit]

Verb[edit]

costume

1. inflection of costumar:
   1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
   2. third-person singular imperative

Quotations[edit]

For quotations using this term, see Citations:costumar.

Further reading[edit]

• “costume” in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa.

Romanian[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): /kos.ˈtu.me/

Noun[edit]

costume n pl

1. plural of costum

costume

a style of clothing typical of a particular time, country, or people; a set of clothes appropriate for a particular occasion: a Halloween costume

Not to be confused with:

custom – a practice followed as a matter of course among a people; a habitual practice of an individual: It is her custom to take a walk every night before dinner.

Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embree

cos·tume

(kŏs′to͞om′, -tyo͞om′)

n.

1. A style of dress, including garments, accessories, and hairstyle, especially as characteristic of a particular country, period, or people.

2. An outfit or a disguise worn on Mardi Gras, Halloween, or similar occasions.

3. A set of clothes appropriate for a particular occasion or season.

tr.v. (kŏ-sto͞om′, -styo͞om′, kŏs′to͞om′, -tyo͞om′) cos·tumed, cos·tum·ing, cos·tumes

1. To put a costume on; dress.

2. To design or furnish costumes for.

---

[French, from Italian, style, dress, from Old Italian, custom, ultimately (possibly via Vulgar Latin *

cōnstūmen

, *

cōnstūmin-

), from alteration of Latin

cōnsuētūdō, cōnsuētūdin-

; see custom.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

costume

(ˈkɒstjuːm)

n

1. (Clothing & Fashion) a complete style of dressing, including all the clothes, accessories, etc, worn at one time, as in a particular country or period; dress: national costume.

2. (Clothing & Fashion) old-fashioned a woman’s suit

3. (Clothing & Fashion) a set of clothes, esp unusual or period clothes, worn in a play by an actor or at a fancy dress ball: a jester’s costume.

vb (tr)

5. (Clothing & Fashion) to furnish the costumes for (a show, film, etc)

6. (Clothing & Fashion) to dress (someone) in a costume

[C18: from French, from Italian: dress, habit, custom]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

cos•tume

(ˈkɒs tum, -tyum; v. also kɒˈstum, -ˈstyum)

n., v. -tumed, -tum•ing,
adj. n.

1. style of dress, including accessories and hairdos, esp. that peculiar to a nation, group, or historical period.

2. clothing of another period, place, etc., or for a particular occasion or season.

3. a set of garments, esp. women’s garments, selected for wear at a single time; outfit.

v.t.

4. to furnish with a costume; dress.

adj.

5. of or characterized by the wearing of costumes: a costume party.

[1705–15; < French < Italian: usage, habit, dress; doublet of custom]

Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

costume

Past participle: costumed
Gerund: costuming

Imperative
costume
costume

Present
I costume
you costume
he/she/it costumes
we costume
you costume
they costume

Preterite
I costumed
you costumed
he/she/it costumed
we costumed
you costumed
they costumed

Present Continuous
I am costuming
you are costuming
he/she/it is costuming
we are costuming
you are costuming
they are costuming

Present Perfect
I have costumed
you have costumed
he/she/it has costumed
we have costumed
you have costumed
they have costumed

Past Continuous
I was costuming
you were costuming
he/she/it was costuming
we were costuming
you were costuming
they were costuming

Past Perfect
I had costumed
you had costumed
he/she/it had costumed
we had costumed
you had costumed
they had costumed

Future
I will costume
you will costume
he/she/it will costume
we will costume
you will costume
they will costume

Future Perfect
I will have costumed
you will have costumed
he/she/it will have costumed
we will have costumed
you will have costumed
they will have costumed

Future Continuous
I will be costuming
you will be costuming
he/she/it will be costuming
we will be costuming
you will be costuming
they will be costuming

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been costuming
you have been costuming
he/she/it has been costuming
we have been costuming
you have been costuming
they have been costuming

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been costuming
you will have been costuming
he/she/it will have been costuming
we will have been costuming
you will have been costuming
they will have been costuming

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been costuming
you had been costuming
he/she/it had been costuming
we had been costuming
you had been costuming
they had been costuming

Conditional
I would costume
you would costume
he/she/it would costume
we would costume
you would costume
they would costume

Past Conditional
I would have costumed
you would have costumed
he/she/it would have costumed
we would have costumed
you would have costumed
they would have costumed

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

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