Word Study
customer
CIDE DICTIONARY
customer, n. [A doublet of customary, a.: cf. LL. custumarius toll gatherer. See Custom.].
- One who collect customs; a toll gatherer. [1913 Webster]"The customers of the small or petty custom and of the subsidy do demand of them custom for kersey cloths." [1913 Webster]
- One who regularly or repeatedly makes purchases of a trader; a purchaser; a buyer. [1913 Webster]"He has got at last the character of a good customer; by this means he gets credit for something considerable, and then never pays for it." [1913 Webster]
- A person with whom a business house has dealings; as, the customers of a bank. J. A. H. Murray. [1913 Webster]
- A peculiar person; -- in an indefinite sense; as, a queer customer; an ugly customer. Dickens. [1913 Webster]
- A lewd woman. Shak. [1913 Webster]
OXFORD DICTIONARY
customer, n.
1 a person who buys goods or services from a shop or business.
2 a person one has to deal with (an awkward customer).
1 a person who buys goods or services from a shop or business.
2 a person one has to deal with (an awkward customer).
Etymology
ME f. AF custumer (as CUSTOMARY), or f. CUSTOM + -ER(1)
THESAURUS
customer
Adamite, being, bloke, body, buyer, cat, chap, character, client, consumer, creature, duck, earthling, fellow, groundling, guy, hand, head, homo, human, human being, individual, joker, life, living soul, man, mark, mortal, nose, one, party, patron, person, personage, personality, prospect, purchaser, regular, regular customer, shopper, single, somebody, someone, soul, sucker, tellurian, terran, worldlingROGET THESAURUS
customer
Purchase
N purchase, emption, buying, purchasing, shopping, preemption, refusal, coemption, bribery, slave trade, buyer, purchaser, emptor, vendee, patron, employer, client, customer, clientele, purchased, caveat emptor, the customer is always right.For further exploring for "customer" in Webster Dictionary Online
