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livery

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liv⋅er⋅y

1  [liv-uh-ree, liv-ree]
Use livery in a Sentence
–noun, plural -er⋅ies.
1. a distinctive uniform, badge, or device formerly provided by someone of rank or title for his retainers, as in time of war.
2. a uniform worn by servants.
3. distinctive attire worn by an official, a member of a company or guild, etc.
4. Also called livery company. British. a guild or company of the City of London entitled to wear such livery.
5. characteristic dress, garb, or outward appearance: the green livery of summer.
6. the care, feeding, stabling, etc., of horses for pay.
7. livery stable.
8. a company that rents out automobiles, boats, etc.
9. Law. an ancient method of conveying a freehold by formal delivery of possession.
Origin:
1250–1300; ME livere < AF, equiv. to OF livree allowance (of food, clothing, etc.), n. use of fem. ptp. of livrer to give over < L līberāre; see liberate
Livery Service Near You
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liv⋅er⋅y

2  [liv-uh-ree]
–adjective
liverish.
Origin:
1770–80; liver 1 + -y 1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To livery
liv·er·y   (lĭv'ə-rē, lĭv'rē)   
n.   pl. liv·er·ies

  1. A distinctive uniform worn by the male servants of a household.

  2. The distinctive dress worn by the members of a particular group; uniform: ushers in livery.

  3. The costume or insignia worn by the retainers of a feudal lord.

    1. The boarding and care of horses for a fee.

    2. The hiring out of horses and carriages.

    3. A livery stable.

  5. A business that offers vehicles, such as automobiles or boats, for hire.

  6. Law Official delivery of property, especially land, to a new owner.


[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.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

livery 
c.1300, "household allowance of any kind (food, provisions, clothing) to retainers or servants," from Anglo-Fr. livere (1292), O.Fr. livrée, originally "(clothes) delivered by a master to his servants," from fem. pp. of livrer "to dispense, deliver, hand over," from L. liberare (see liberate). The sense later was reduced to "servants' rations" and "provender for horses" (c.1440). The former led to the meaning "distinctive clothing given to servants" (c.1325); the latter now is obsolete except in livery stable (1705).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: liv·ery
Pronunciation: 'liv-&-rE
Function: adjective
: suggesting liver disorder : LIVERISH
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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