Obs. [ONorthumb. cost, a. ON. kostr trial, chance, state, condition, quality, etc. = Goth. kustus proof, trial:—OTeut. *kus-tuz, from weak grade kus- of keus-, kaus-, kus-, to taste, prove, choose: cf. OE. costian, Ger. kosten to try, prove, taste; also L. gustus, gustāre, Gr. γεύ(σ)ειν, to taste. See also CUST.]
1. Way, manner; available course; contrivance. Needes cost: in the way of necessity, necessarily. The OE. phrases ænigum coste, alre coste, appear to survive in the modern at any cost, which is now, however, in sense referred to COST sb.2
c. 900. Durham Ritual (Surtees Soc.), 108. Ineffabilibus modis, vnasæccendlicvm costvm. Ibid., 113. Ullo modo, ænigvm coste.
c. 1175. Lamb. Hom., 21. We ne maȝen alre coste halden crist bibode.
c. 1205. Lay., 13769. Nus þer cost nan oðer.
c. 1325. E. E. Allit. P., B. 1478. Þe candelstik bi a cost watz cayred þider.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Knt.’s T., 619. Needes cost he moste himselven hyde.
c. 1449. Pecock, Repr., II. ii. 141. This word ‘graued ymage’ bitokeneth, needis cost … a feyned graued God.
2. A quality, characteristic, habit; disposition, nature, kind, character. Often in pl.
c. 1175. Lamb. Hom., 29. He haueð þes deofles costes þet a festeð and a deð uuel.
c. 1200. Ormin, 8056. And son summ icc wass waxenn mann, Þa flæh I childess cosstess.
c. 1250. Gen. & Ex., 3327. Knewen he noȝt ðis dewes cost. Ibid. (c. 1340), 8179 (Fairf.). Þe king þat kinde was of coste.
c. 1340. Gaw. & Gr. Knt., 1849. Who-so knew þe costes þat knit ar þer-inne.
a. 1440. Sir Degrev., 364. What schuld ye do a this place, Swych costus to kythe?
