livery

1 of 2

noun

liv·​ery ˈli-və-rē 

ˈliv-rē

plural liveries

1

a

: a concern offering vehicles (such as boats) for rent

a canoe livery

an automobile livery

b

: the feeding, stabling, and care of horses for pay

c

: livery stable

2

a

chiefly British : an identifying design (as on a vehicle) that designates ownership

b

: a servant's uniform

c

: the distinctive clothing or badge formerly worn by the retainers (see retainer entry 1 sense 1) of a person of rank

d

: distinctive dress : garb

a nun's traditional livery

3

: the act of delivering legal possession of property

4

archaic : the apportioning of provisions especially to servants : allowance

5

archaic

a

: one's retainers or retinue

b

: the members of a British livery company

livery

2 of 2

adjective

1

: resembling liver

2

: suggesting liver disorder

Synonyms

Noun

• outfit
• uniform

Example Sentences

Noun

the limousine chauffeur was easily distinguished from the cab drivers by his livery

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

There's no better way to outclass a modern 911 in a tired and entirely predictable Gulf Oil livery. —Brendan Mcaleer, Car and Driver, 25 Dec. 2022

Resplendent in the exact same livery as either #63 Bagnaia or #19 Bautista, the bikes will be identical in specification to the ones raced. —Peter Jackson, Robb Report, 21 Dec. 2022

At least the Texas tuner's livery isn't as gaudy as the one Ford offers on the regular Raptor R's bedsides. —Eric Stafford, Car and Driver, 20 Dec. 2022

In 2019, 54% of all flights sold by American, Delta or United were operated by one of their smaller regional airline partners with names on the livery such as American Eagle, Endeavor and United Express. —Dallas News, 23 Sep. 2022

The event included two truck cabs decked out in the livery of Pepsi and Frito-Lay, PepsiCo’s snack foods subsidiary. —Peter Valdes-dapena, CNN, 1 Dec. 2022

And if the lively livery of his Porsche 718 from last year left an impression, then the latest entry—the all-new-for-2022 GT4 RS Clubsport—will be blowing minds at every turn. —Robert Ross, Robb Report, 6 Apr. 2022

In the images, he can be seen in a red and gold livery, with a black waistcoat, and a crisp white shirt with a matching bowtie. —Armani Syed, Time, 9 Nov. 2022

Le Man class winner’s red-and-blue livery, according to the brand. —Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 5 Oct. 2022

Adjective

Across the street is a livery cab service owned by Kevin Rosario (Jimmy Smits), who came to New York from Puerto Rico and poured his hopes into his daughter, Nina (Leslie Grace). —New York Times, 9 June 2021

During the pandemic, some local fleet managers who rented cars to Uber and Lyft drivers re-registered the vehicles for non-livery use and began renting to folks making deliveries for companies like DoorDash and Uber Eats. —Anne Kadet, WSJ, 8 June 2021

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Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French liveree, livree, literally, delivery, from liverer to deliver, from Latin liberare to free — more at liberate

Adjective

see liver entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4

Adjective

1594, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing livery

• livery company
• livery stable

• livery company
• livery stable

Kids Definition

livery

noun

liv·​ery

ˈliv-(ə-)rē

plural liveries

1

: a special uniform worn by the servants of a wealthy household

a footman in livery

2

: the clothing worn to distinguish an association of persons

the livery of a school

3

a

: the feeding, care, and stabling of horses for pay

b

: the keeping of horses and vehicles for hire

c

: livery stable

Medical Definition

livery

adjective

liv·​ery ˈliv-ə-rē 

: suggesting liver disorder : liverish