Usances

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A customary practice or manner of using something over time
2. A specific manner in which a particular resource or tool is utilized within a certain context
3. The established ways in which rights, privileges, or customs are exercised or acknowledged in different situations

Etymology: "Usances" is the plural of "usance", a noun that in English has meant established custom or long-standing practice, and in commerce a set period allowed for payment of a bill of exchange. It came into English from Middle English "usaunce", which was taken from Old French "usance", a word built on the same root as "usage". The plural form now appears mostly in older legal and commercial writing, where it refers to several customs or practices considered together.

Synonyms: customs, practices, traditions, habits, conventions

Antonyms: novelties, innovations, changes, deviations, exceptions