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
Both words can describe an established way of proceeding in a particular field. Praxis emphasizes how something is actually applied or carried out, while Usus highlights the prevailing custom or usual convention. Use Praxis for the concrete application and Usus for an established rule of conduct.
In diesem Unternehmen ist es Usus, neue Mitarbeitende persönlich zu begrüßen.
In this company, it is customary to welcome new employees in person.
In der Praxis prüfen die Mitarbeitenden jedes Formular zweimal.
In practice, the staff check every form twice.
