A means of providing the necessities of life for oneself (for example, a job or income).
an independent livelihood; to make / earn / gain / win a good livelihood by the sweat of one's brow
1716, Joseph Addison, The Free-Holder, London: D. Midwinter and J. Tonson, No. 42, Monday May 14, p. 245,
Trade […] employs Multitudes of Hands both by Sea and Land, and furnishes the poorest of our Fellow-Subjects with the Opportunities of gaining an honest Livelihood.
The legal profession believes that client choice is the best way of ensuring standards remain high, because a lawyer's livelihood depends upon their reputation.
(now rare) Property which brings in an income; an estate.
(obsolete) Liveliness; appearance of life.
(obsolete) The course of someone's life; a person's lifetime, or their manner of living; conduct, behaviour.
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