Accustomed

How to spell accustomed

10 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce accustomed

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does accustomed mean?

1. adjectiveUsed to something through habit or repeated experience; customary or usual.

Accustomed in a sentence

• After years of night shifts she had grown accustomed to sleeping during the day.

• The team is accustomed to tight deadlines and rarely panics.

Where does accustomed come from?

Language of origin: French

This word traces back through Old French to Latin. The Latin verb consuescere meant 'to grow used to' or 'to make a habit of', built from the prefix con- (together, thoroughly) and suescere (to become accustomed). From the related Latin noun consuetudo, meaning 'custom' or 'habit', Old French developed acostumer, 'to bring into the habit of'. English adopted this in the late Middle Ages, and the past participle gave us the modern adjective meaning 'used to' or 'in the habit of'. The very same root sits inside the everyday word 'custom', and remembering that 'accustomed' is simply 'custom' with the prefix ac- attached helps explain the doubled c that so often trips writers up.

How the word is built

• ac- (to)
• custom (habit, usual practice)
• -ed (adjective/past-participle suffix)