Meanings
plural consuetudinaries
- A ritual book containing the forms and ceremonies used in the services of a particular monastery, cathedral or religious order.
1 more example
Winchester itself was an early centre of the manufacture of chanlons, which were rugs used for coverlets or counterpanes, and in the consuetudinary of the city, which dates back at least to the early years of the thirteenth century, the looms are divided into two classes, the 'great looms' used for burel weaving paying 5s. per year, and the 'little looms' for chanlons paying 6d. or 12d., according to their size.
1964, L.F. Salzman, English Industries of the Middle Ages, page 200 - An unwritten law established by usage, derived by immemorial custom from antiquity.
- not comparablelawCustomary; considered law by virtue of the fact that it is generally observed.
Synonyms & antonyms
nouna manual describing the customs of a particular group (especially the ceremonial practices of a monastic order)
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Medieval Latincōnsuetudinārius
- Englishconsuetudinary
From Medieval Latin cōnsuetudinārius, from cōnsuētūdō (oblique stem cōnsuētūdin-) + -ārius, from cōnsuēscō + -tūdō, from con- + suēscō. By surface analysis, consuetude + -ary.
More words from Medieval Latin
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
consuetudinary. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/consuetudinary
“consuetudinary.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/consuetudinary. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “consuetudinary,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/consuetudinary.
Source: consuetudinary on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.