from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Custard \Cus"tard\ (k[u^]s"t[~e]rd), n. [Prob. the same word as
OE. crustade, crustate, a pie made with a crust, fr. L.
crustatus covered with a crust, p. p. of crustare, fr. crusta
crust; cf. OF. croustade pasty, It. crostata, or F. coutarde.
See {Crust}, and cf. {Crustated}.]
A mixture of milk and eggs, sweetened, and baked or boiled.
[1913 Webster]
{Custard apple} (Bot.), a low tree or shrub of tropical
America, including several species of {Anona} ({Anona
squamosa}, {Anona reticulata}, etc.), having a roundish or
ovate fruit the size of a small orange, containing a soft,
yellowish, edible pulp.
{Custard coffin}, pastry, or crust, which covers or coffins a
custard [Obs.] --Shak.
[1913 Webster]