Livery
A
livery is a
uniform worn by a civilian person. In the time of
Chaucer "livery" referred to an allowance of any kind (for instance the city of
Exeter in
Devon,
England has a street called
"Livery Dole" after the
Livery Dole Almshouses and Chapel, founded in March 1591), but especially clothes
delivered (
French livrée) to servants and members of the household. Such things might be kept in a "
livery cupboard." The sense later contracted to servants' rations and distinctive standardized outfits, like the
knee-breeches worn by
footmen in
grand houses until
World War I, and to
provender for
horses, from which we have inherited "
livery stable" (1705) [
1].
From this core meaning, multiple extended or specialist meanings have derived. Examples include:
*A
livery company is one of the most ancient
guilds of the
City of London; members of the company were allowed to dress their servants in the distinctive uniform of their trade, and the company's charters enabled them to prevent others from embarking upon the trades within the company's jurisdiction. In
Paris, similar institutions, called
Corporations were swept away by the
Revolution.
*A livery is the common
design and
paint scheme a company will use on its
vehicles, often using specific
colors and
logo placement. In this sense, the term is applied to
railway locomotives and
rolling stock,
aeroplanes, and
road vehicles. For example,
United Parcel Service has
trucks with a well-known
brown livery. Another example is the
British Airways ethnic liveries. The term has become extended to the logos, colors and other distinctive styles of companies in general. See also
trade dress.
*A livery is the specific paint scheme and sticker design used in motorsport, on vehicles, in order to attract sponsorship and to advertise sponsors.
*A "livery vehicle" remains a legalism in the
U.S. for a vehicle for hire, such as a
taxicab or chauffered
limousine, but excluding a rented vehicle driven by the renter. In some jurisdictions a "livery vehicle" covers vehicles that carry up to seven passengers, but not more, thus including a
jitney but excluding an or
motorcoach. This usage stems from the
hackney cabs or coaches that could be provided by a "livery stable."
The term is rarely if ever applied in a military context, so it would be unusual for "livery" to refer to a military uniform or the painting of a military vehicle.
