costard

English

Alternative forms

• coster (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English costard, perhaps from Old French coste (“rib”) + -ard, in reference to its ribbed appearance.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkɒs.tə(ɹ)d/

Noun

costard (plural costards)

1. (British) A large cooking apple.
2. The tree on which large cooking apples grow.
3. (archaic, humorous) The human head.
   • c. 1593 (date written), [William Shakespeare], The Tragedy of King Richard the Third. […] (First Quarto), London: […] Valentine Sims [and Peter Short] for Andrew Wise, […], published 1597, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iv]:

     Take him ouer the coſtard with the hilts of thy ſword,
     And then we wil chop him in the malmſey
     But in the next roome.

   • c. 1603–1606 (date written), [William Shakespeare], […] His True Chronicle Historie of the Life and Death of King Lear and His Three Daughters. […] (First Quarto), London: […] Nathaniel Butter, […], published 1608, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene vi]:

     Good Gentleman goe your gate, let poore voke paſſe, and chud haue beene ſwaggard’d out of my life, it would not haue beene ſo long by a fortnight, nay come not neare the old man, keepe out, cheuore ye, or ile trie whether your coſter or my battero be the harder, ile be plaine with you.

     c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene vi], page 304, column 2:

     Good Gentleman goe your gate, and let poore volke paſſe: and ’chud ha’ bin zwaggerd out of my life, ’twould not ha’bin zo long as ’tis, by a vortnight. Nay, come not neere th’old man: keepe out che vor’ye, or ice try whither your Coſtard, or my Ballow be the harder; chill be plaine with you.

Related terms

• costermonger

French

Etymology

Clipping of costume + -ard.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kɔs.taʁ/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

costard m (plural costards)

1. (colloquial) suit

Further reading

• “costard”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.