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A uniform is a set of standard clothing worn by members of an
organisation whilst participating in that organisation's activity.
People performing religious activities have often worn standard costumes since the dawn of recorded history. Other early
examples of uniforms include the clothing of the armies of the Roman Empire
and other civilizations.
Modern uniforms are worn by armed forces and other paramilitary
organisations such as police, emergency services, security guards, in some workplaces and schools, and by inmates in
prisons.
One purpose of military uniforms is to clearly distinguish combatants who are protected by the laws
of war from other persons carrying weapons, who enjoy no such protection. Another purpose in historical times was to make it
difficult for deserters to avoid detection; military uniforms were so distinctive
with many metal buttons and unique colors that they could not be modified into unrecognizable clothing.
Prison uniforms often consist of a distinctive orange or yellow jumpsuit or a white
and black zebra striped uniform to make escape
more difficult.
See also
Uniform is also the letter U in the NATO phonetic alphabet
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