What is "livery"

Livery \Liv"er*y\, v. t. To clothe in, or as in, livery.
--Shak.

Livery \Liv"er*y\, n.; pl. Liveries. [OE. livere, F. livr['e]e, formerly, a gift of clothes made by the master to his servants, prop., a thing delivered, fr. livrer to deliver, L. liberare to set free, in LL., to deliver up. See Liberate.]

1. (Eng. Law)

   1. The act of delivering possession of lands or tenements.

   2. The writ by which possession is obtained.

      Note: It is usual to say, livery of seizin, which is a feudal investiture, made by the delivery of a turf, of a rod, a twig, or a key from the feoffor to the feoffee as a symbol of delivery of the whole property. There was a distinction of livery in deed when this ceremony was performed on the property being transferred, and livery in law when performed in sight of the property, but not on it. In the United States, and now in Great Britain, no such ceremony is necessary, the delivery of a deed being sufficient as a livery of seizin, regardless of where performed.
      --Black's 4th Ed.

2. Release from wardship; deliverance.

   It concerned them first to sue out their livery from the unjust wardship of his encroaching prerogative.
   --Milton.

3. That which is delivered out statedly or formally, as clothing, food, etc.; especially:

   1. The uniform clothing issued by feudal superiors to their retainers and serving as a badge when in military service.

   2. The peculiar dress by which the servants of a nobleman or gentleman are distinguished; as, a claret-colored livery.

   3. Hence, also, the peculiar dress or garb appropriated by any association or body of persons to their own use; as, the livery of the London tradesmen, of a priest, of a charity school, etc.; also, the whole body or company of persons wearing such a garb, and entitled to the privileges of the association; as, the whole livery of London.

      A Haberdasher and a Carpenter, A Webbe, a Dyer, and a Tapicer, And they were clothed all in one livery Of a solempne and a gret fraternite.
      --Chaucer.

      From the periodical deliveries of these characteristic articles of servile costume (blue coats) came our word livery.
      --De Quincey.

   4. Hence, any characteristic dress or outward appearance. `` April's livery.''
      --Sir P. Sidney.

      Now came still evening on, and twilight gray Had in her sober livery all things clad.
      --Milton.

   5. An allowance of food statedly given out; a ration, as to a family, to servants, to horses, etc.

      The emperor's officers every night went through the town from house to house whereat any English gentleman did repast or lodge, and served their liveries for all night: first, the officers brought into the house a cast of fine manchet [white bread], and of silver two great pots, and white wine, and sugar.
      --Cavendish.

   6. The feeding, stabling, and care of horses for compensation; boarding; as, to keep one's horses at livery.

      What livery is, we by common use in England know well enough, namely, that is, allowance of horse meat, as to keep horses at livery, the which word, I guess, is derived of livering or delivering forth their nightly food.
      --Spenser.

      It need hardly be observed that the explanation of livery which Spenser offers is perfectly correct, but . . . it is no longer applied to the ration or stated portion of food delivered at stated periods.
      --Trench.

   7. 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.

      Pegasus does not stand at livery even at the largest establishment in Moorfields.
      --Lowell.

4. A low grade of wool.

   Livery gown, the gown worn by a liveryman in London.

c.1300, "household allowance of any kind (food, provisions, clothing) to retainers or servants," from Anglo-French livere (late 13c.), Old French livrée, "allowance, ration, pay," originally "(clothes) delivered by a master to his retinue," from fem. past participle of livrer "to dispense, deliver, hand over," from Latin liberare (see liberate). The sense later was reduced to "servants' rations" and "provender for horses" (mid-15c.). The former led to the meaning "distinctive clothing given to servants" (early 14c.); the latter now is obsolete except in livery stable (1705). Related: Liveried.

n. Any distinctive identifying uniform worn by a group, such as the uniform worn by chauffeurs and male servants. vb. (context archaic English) To clothe.

1. n. uniform worn by some menservants and chauffeurs

2. the voluntary transfer of something (title or possession) from one party to another [syn: delivery, legal transfer]

3. the care (feeding and stabling) of horses for pay

adj. suffering from or suggesting a liver disorder or gastric distress [syn: bilious, liverish]

A livery is a uniform, insignia or symbol adorning, in a non-military context, a person, an object or a vehicle that denotes a relationship between the wearer of the livery and an individual or corporate body. Often, elements of the heraldry relating to the individual or corporate body feature in the livery. Alternatively, some kind of a personal emblem or badge, or a distinctive colour, is featured.

The word itself derives from the French livrée, meaning dispensed, handed over. Most often it would indicate that the wearer of the livery was a servant, dependant, follower or friend of the owner of the livery, or, in the case of objects, that the object belonged to them.

In the late medieval phenomenon of bastard feudalism, livery badges worn by the "retainers" of great lords, sometimes in effect private armies, became a great political concern in England.