▪ I. † cust1 Obs.
Forms: 1 cyst, 3– cust (y).
[In form identical with OE. cyst choice, excellence, virtue, etc. from custi- = OS. cust (MDu. cust, Du. kust), OHG. chust, (Goth. ga-kusts):—OTeut. *kusti-z fem. abstr., f. kus- weak grade of keusan to taste, prove, choose.
Parallel masc. forms are Gothic kustu-s, and ON. kostr: see cost n.1 Found only in OE. and early southern ME.: its Midland and mod.Eng. form would have been kyst, kist. But in the midl. dialect its place was supplied by cost n.1 from Norse, to which also cust seems to have been entirely conformed in sense, so that it may be viewed simply as the southern form of cost.]
1. Choice, action or faculty of choosing.
| a 1000 Cædmon's Gen. 1919 (Gr.) Ic ðe cyst abead. c 1000 Ags. Ps. lxiv. 4 (Thorpe) Se þe hine ece God cystum ᵹeceoseð. |
2. Quality, character, manner, way; = cost n.1
| c 1205 Lay. 12020 Heo i-cneowen wel a þan wolcne þas wederes custes. Ibid. 20324 Swa nauere na mon nuste Of Baldulfes custe [c 1275 Of Baldolf his custes]. a 1250 Owl & Night. 9 And eiþer seide of oþres custe Þat alre worste þat hi wuste. Ibid. 1398 Sum arist of þe flesches luste, And sum of þe gostes custe. a 1250 Prov. Alfred 252 in O.E. Misc. 119 Ac leorne hire custe [a 1275 Her þu hire costes cuþe]. |
▪ II. † cust2 Sc. Obs.
Also cuist, coyst.
[Derivation unknown: its abbreviation from custroun has been suggested, but the spelling seems to indicate Sc. ({obar}, y), repr. ME. ō, which is a different vowel.]
A base, low fellow; a custroun.
| a 1500 Colkelbie Sow i. 406 (Jam.) Ilk knave, and ilk cust, Comprysit Horlore Hust. 1535 Aberdeen Reg. V. 15 (Jam.) Calling him coyst carll & commound theyf, & vther vyil wordis. a 1605 Montgomerie Flyting 13 We mell thou sall yell, little cultron cuist. |