Costume Meaning
/ˈkɒs.tjuːm/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA style of dress, including garments, accessories and hairstyle, especially as characteristic of a particular country, period or people.
nounAn outfit or a disguise worn as fancy dress etc.
Sentence Examples
She was all the more beautiful dressed in her wedding costume.
This style of costume originated in Paris.
CEFR Practice Quiz
For the Halloween party, he wore a superhero ____ with a cape.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
She was all the more beautiful dressed in her wedding ____.
Word Origin & History
Borrowed from French costume, from Italian costume, from Latin consuētūdō (“custom, habit”). Doublet of consuetude, custom, and kastom. Verb circa 1802, perhaps modelled on French costumer.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"the sight of thousands of people gathered to watch men walk the streets openly in female costume"
— 1971, Tonie Metie, “Unmasquerade”, in Body Politic, number 1, page 1:
"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.”"
— 2019, Krissy Aguilar, “Liza Soberano Apologizes for Comments on ‘Black Face’”, in Philippine Daily Inquirer:
"They call their bathing suits down there "costumes.""
— 1966, Bruce Brown, director, The Endless Summer:
"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."
— 1847 October 16, Currer Bell [pseudonym; Charlotte Brontë], chapter XVIII, in Jane Eyre. An Autobiography. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: Smith, Elder, and Co., […], →OCLC:
""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."
— 1942 March, “Notes and News: Monument to a Stillborn Railway”, in Railway Magazine, page 88:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
For the Halloween party, he wore a superhero ____ with a cape.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
She was all the more beautiful dressed in her wedding ____.