Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A distinctive uniform worn by the male servants of a household.
  • noun The distinctive dress worn by the members of a particular group; uniform.
  • noun The costume or insignia worn by the retainers of a feudal lord.
  • noun The boarding and care of horses for a fee.
  • noun The hiring out of horses and carriages.
  • noun A livery stable.
  • noun A business that offers vehicles, such as automobiles or boats, for hire.
  • noun Law Official delivery of property, especially land, to a new owner.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To clothe in or as if in livery.
  • Resembling the liver: as, a livery color, texture, etc.
  • noun Delivery; allowance; grant; permission.
  • noun In law: The act of giving possession; delivery.
  • noun The charter or deed of possession accompanying the delivery.
  • noun Release from constraint or control; deliverance.
  • noun Delivery (of blows).
  • noun An allowance of food or other provisions statedly given out; a ration, as to a family, to servants, to horses, etc.
  • noun Keeping on a certain or regular allowance at a certain rate; regular keeping and attendance: now used only of horses: as, to keep a horse at livery.
  • noun A regular distribution of uniform garments, badges, etc., to any body of men; hence, a uniform style prescribed for the dress of a body of servants, followers, or associates.
  • noun A badge, cognizance, garment, or entire costume of uniform fashion formerly marking the retainers of a feudal lord, the followers of a military superior, or the members of a company, as a gild or corporation; at the present time, the dress worn by servants, especially men servants, when of peculiar fashion and indicating whom it is that they serve.
  • noun Figuratively, any characteristic dress, or a dress assumed for or worn upon a particular occasion; hence, characteristic covering or outward appearance: as, the livery of May or of autumn.
  • noun A livery-stable.
  • noun Same as livery company: as, the London liveries.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb To clothe in, or as in, livery.
  • noun The act of delivering possession of lands or tenements.
  • noun The writ by which possession is obtained.
  • noun Release from wardship; deliverance.
  • noun That which is delivered out statedly or formally, as clothing, food, etc.
  • noun The uniform clothing issued by feudal superiors to their retainers and serving as a badge when in military service.
  • noun The peculiar dress by which the servants of a nobleman or gentleman are distinguished.
  • noun Hence, also, the peculiar dress or garb appropriated by any association or body of persons to their own use; ; also, the whole body or company of persons wearing such a garb, and entitled to the privileges of the association.
  • noun Hence, any characteristic dress or outward appearance.
  • noun An allowance of food statedly given out; a ration, as to a family, to servants, to horses, etc.
  • noun The feeding, stabling, and care of horses for compensation; boarding.
  • noun The keeping of horses in readiness to be hired temporarily for riding or driving; the state of being so kept; also, the place where horses are so kept, also called a livery stable.
  • noun A low grade of wool.
  • noun the gown worn by a liveryman in London.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun Any distinctive identifying uniform worn by a group, such as the uniform worn by chauffeurs and male servants.
  • noun The paint scheme of a vehicle or fleet of vehicles.
  • noun US A taxicab or limousine.
  • noun law The delivery of property from one owner to the next.
  • noun historical The rental of horses or carriages; the rental of canoes; the care and/or boarding of horses for money.
  • noun historical A stable that keeps horses or carridges for rental.
  • verb archaic To clothe in.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective suffering from or suggesting a liver disorder or gastric distress
  • noun the care (feeding and stabling) of horses for pay
  • noun uniform worn by some menservants and chauffeurs
  • noun the voluntary transfer of something (title or possession) from one party to another

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English liveri, from Old French livree, delivery, from feminine past participle of livrer, to deliver, from Latin līberāre, to free, from līber, free; see leudh- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Anglo-Norman liveree, from Old French livree. Compare modern French livrer.

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Examples

Comments

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  • Indicates a footman

    April 11, 2009

  • The two guards on duty at the moment were both huge, and wearing the black livery of the hotel. -Charlaine Harris, Living Dead in Dallas

    December 11, 2010