custom / usage
Loading your saved state.
custom / usage
A habit, custom, or usual procedure that is established in a particular group or field. The word is used mainly in elevated or formal language.
In unserer Firma ist es Usus, dass neue Projekte zuerst dem gesamten Team vorgestellt werden.
In our company, it is customary for new projects to be presented to the entire team first.
'Usus' is a direct loanword from Latin (usus = use, habit). For this reason, it is used almost exclusively in formal written language or in a professional or academic context.
Der wissenschaftliche Usus verlangt eine genaue Quellenangabe.
Academic usage requires exact citation of sources.
A very common construction with this word is 'Es ist Usus, dass ...' (It is customary that ...). This sentence structure introduces a subordinate clause that describes the usual procedure or custom.
Es ist bei uns im Büro Usus, dass jeder seinen eigenen Kaffeebecher mitbringt.
It is customary in our office for everyone to bring their own coffee mug.
'Usus' is often combined with certain verbs. Typical phrases are 'gängiger Usus sein' (to be common practice), 'zum Usus werden' (to become customary), or 'dem Usus entsprechen' (to correspond to customary usage).
Pünktlichkeit ist in diesem Unternehmen gängiger Usus.
Punctuality is common practice in this company.
practice / office
'die Praxis' and 'der Usus' can both describe how something is actually done. 'die Praxis' is especially suitable when you mean practical application, often in contrast to theory. 'der Usus' refers more to a fixed habit or usual procedure in a group or in a particular field. The word sounds more formal and elevated. Learners may confuse the words because both have to do with real action. As a guide: 'in der Praxis' says what really happens; 'Usus' says what is normally customary.
In dieser Firma ist es Usus, neue Kollegen am ersten Tag gemeinsam zu begrüßen.
In this company, it is customary to welcome new colleagues together on their first day.
In der Praxis dauert die Anmeldung oft länger als geplant.
In practice, registration often takes longer than planned.