# livery

/ˈɫɪvɝi/ (US) · /lˈɪvəɹi/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/livery
Updated: 2026-08-27

## Senses

### 2. servant's uniform

noun · CEFR C2 · Formal

a special uniform worn by servants or workers, such as a hotel doorman or a private driver.

For teachers: a distinctive identifying uniform worn by a group, traditionally by male servants or members of a guild.

- The hotel staff were dressed in traditional blue livery with gold buttons.
- The footmen were required to wear their formal livery whenever guests were being entertained at the manor.

### 3. horse care and rental

noun · CEFR C2 · British English

the business of keeping and feeding horses for their owners, or renting out horses and carriages.

For teachers: the boarding and care of horses for a fee, or the provision of horses and vehicles for hire.

- She keeps her horse at a local livery stable because she doesn't have a field at home.
- The historic inn once operated a thriving livery, providing fresh horses for travelers arriving by stagecoach.

### 4. legal transfer

noun · CEFR C2 · Archaic · Technical

the formal act of handing over property from one person to another.

For teachers: the legal delivery of property, especially land, into the possession of a new owner.

- The old laws required a formal ceremony for the livery of the land.
- In medieval law, the livery of seisin was a public ceremony involving the physical transfer of a piece of turf to symbolize land ownership.

## Examples

- The airline recently updated the livery on all its planes.
- The delivery trucks are easily recognized by their bright green and yellow livery.
- The restoration project aimed to return the locomotive to its original 1920s livery, requiring extensive research into the specific pigments used by the railway company at that time.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.