English
livery
Livery comes from Old French livree ‘delivery’.
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400livree‘delivery’
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400liveree
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500livery
- Englishearliest quotation 1609livery
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400livree‘delivery’
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400liveree
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500livery
- Englishearliest quotation 1609livery
Earliest quotation: 1609, William Shakespeare, Sonnet 2: “When forty winters shall beseige thy brow, dig deep…”
Every English word from Old French livree
Another origin of livery
- Old Englishc. 450–1150lifriġ‘relating to the liver, livery’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500*liveryreconstructed
- Englishtodaylivery
Today it means
noun Any distinctive identifying uniform worn by a group, such as the uniform worn by chauffeurs and male servants.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Old French livree / livery