cus·tom·er   (kŭs'tə-mər)    n.   One that buys goods or services. Informal An individual with whom one must deal: a tough customer.

Customer

Cus"tom*er\ (k[u^]s"t[u^]m*[~e]r), n. [A doublet of customary, a.: cf. LL. custumarius toll gatherer. See Custom.]

1. One who collect customs; a toll gatherer. [Obs.]

The customers of the small or petty custom and of the subsidy do demand of them custom for kersey cloths. --Hakluyt.

2. One who regularly or repeatedly makes purchases of a trader; a purchaser; a buyer.

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. --Goldsmith.

3. A person with whom a business house has dealings; as, the customers of a bank. --J. A. H. Murray.

4. A peculiar person; -- in an indefinite sense; as, a queer customer; an ugly customer. [Colloq.] --Dickens.

5. A lewd woman. [Obs.] --Shak.

Main Entry: cus·to·mer
Function: noun
1 : a person or business that purchases a commodity or service
2 a : a person or entity having an account with a bank or on whose behalf the bank has agreed to collect items b : a person or entity for whom an issuer issues a letter of credit

customer

see ugly customer.