livery1
n.
(pl. liveries)
- a special uniform worn by a servant, an official, or a member of a City Company.
▸a distinctive design and colour scheme used on a company's vehicles, aircraft, or products.
- (in the UK) the members of a City livery company collectively.
- historical a provision of food or clothing for servants.
-
(in full livery of seisin)
Brit. historical the ceremonial procedure at common law of conveying freehold land to a grantee.
Phrase
- at livery
(of a horse) kept for the owner and fed and cared for at a fixed charge.
Derivative
Etymology
ME (in the sense ‘the dispensing of food or clothing to servants’, also ‘allowance of provender for horses’, surviving in the phr. at livery and in livery stable): from OFr. livree ‘delivered’, fem. past part. of livrer, from L. liberare ‘liberate’.
