coutumière

Coutumière is the feminine form of the French adjective coutumier, meaning customary or based on custom. In French, it is used to describe practices, rules, or authorities that arise from traditional usage rather than from written statutes. The term is common in legal, historical, and anthropological writing.

In legal and administrative contexts, coutumière often appears in phrases such as droit coutumier (customary law) and règles coutumières (customary rules). Customary law comprises norms developed by communities and recognized by courts, which may coexist with codified or statutory law and, in some jurisdictions, play a significant role in resolving disputes or regulating everyday life. The specific content of coutumières can vary by region, community, and historical period, reflecting local traditions and social structures.

Anthropologically and sociologically, coutumière denotes practices and norms transmitted through generations within a group. These customs may regulate social behavior, marriage, property, and conflict resolution, and they evolve over time in response to economic, political, and cultural change. Historically, writers spoke of coutumiers as collections or compilations of local customs, especially in medieval and early modern Europe, where jurisprudential coutumiers documented prevalent practices.

The term is closely related to coutume (custom) and coutumier (a collection or system of customary laws). In contemporary French, coutumière remains primarily an adjective but can appear in reference to customary practices or contexts, distinct from but often complementary to formal statutory law. Note that coutumière is not to be confused with couturière, the feminine form of the word for a dressmaker.