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Webster 1913 Edition

Bill

Bill

,
Noun.
[OE.
bile
,
bille
, AS.
bile
beak of a bird, proboscis; cf. Ir. & Gael.
bil
,
bile
, mouth, lip, bird’s bill. Cf.
Bill
a weapon.]
A beak, as of a bird, or sometimes of a turtle or other animal.
Milton.

Bill

,
Verb.
I.
[
imp. & p. p.
Billed
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Billing
.]
1.
To strike; to peck.
[Obs.]
2.
To join bills, as doves; to caress in fondness.
“As pigeons bill.”
Shak.
To bill and coo
,
to interchange caresses; – said of doves; also of demonstrative lovers.
Thackeray.

Bill

,
Noun.
The bell, or boom, of the bittern
The bittern's hollow
bill
was heard.
Wordsworth.

Bill

,
Noun.
[OE.
bil
, AS.
bill
,
bil
; akin to OS.
bil
sword, OHG.
bill
pickax, G.
bille
. Cf.
Bill
bea[GREEK].]
1.
A cutting instrument, with hook-shaped point, and fitted with a handle; – used in pruning, etc.; a billhook. When short, called a hand bill, when long, a hedge bill.
2.
A weapon of infantry, in the 14th and 15th centuries. A common form of bill consisted of a broad, heavy, double-edged, hook-shaped blade, having a short pike at the back and another at the top, and attached to the end of a long staff.
France had no infantry that dared to face the English bows end
bills
.
Macaulay.
3.
One who wields a bill; a billman.
Strype.
4.
A pickax, or mattock.
[Obs.]
5.
(Naut.)
The extremity of the arm of an anchor; the point of or beyond the fluke.

Bill

,
Verb.
T.
To work upon ( as to dig, hoe, hack, or chop anything) with a bill.

Bill

,
Noun.
[OE.
bill
,
bille
, fr. LL.
billa
(or OF.
bille
), for L.
bulla
anything rounded, LL., seal, stamp, letter, edict, roll; cf. F.
bille
a ball, prob. fr. Ger.; cf. MHG.
bickel
, D.
bikkel
, dice. Cf.
Bull
papal edict,
Billet
a paper.]
1.
(Law)
A declaration made in writing, stating some wrong the complainant has suffered from the defendant, or a fault committed by some person against a law.
2.
A writing binding the signer or signers to pay a certain sum at a future day or on demand, with or without interest, as may be stated in the document.
[Eng.]
☞ In the United States, it is usually called a note, a note of hand, or a promissory note.
3.
A form or draft of a law, presented to a legislature for enactment; a proposed or projected law.
4.
A paper, written or printed, and posted up or given away, to advertise something, as a lecture, a play, or the sale of goods; a placard; a poster; a handbill.
She put up the
bill
in her parlor window.
Dickens.
5.
An account of goods sold, services rendered, or work done, with the price or charge; a statement of a creditor's claim, in gross or by items;
as, a grocer's
bill
.
6.
Any paper, containing a statement of particulars;
as, a
bill
of charges or expenditures; a weekly
bill
of mortality; a
bill
of fare, etc.
Bill of adventure
.
See under
Adventure
.
–
Bill of costs
,
a statement of the items which form the total amount of the costs of a party to a suit or action.
–
Bill of credit
.
(a)
Within the constitution of the United States, a paper issued by a State, on the mere faith and credit of the State, and designed to circulate as money.
No State shall “emit bills of credit.”
U. S. Const.
Peters.
Wharton.
Bouvier
(b)
Among merchants, a letter sent by an agent or other person to a merchant, desiring him to give credit to the bearer for goods or money.
–
Bill of divorce
,
in the Jewish law, a writing given by the husband to the wife, by which the marriage relation was dissolved.
Jer. iii. 8.
–
Bill of entry
,
a written account of goods entered at the customhouse, whether imported or intended for exportation.
–
Bill of exceptions
.
See under
Exception
.
–
Bill of exchange
(Com.)
,
a written order or request from one person or house to another, desiring the latter to pay to some person designated a certain sum of money therein generally is, and, to be negotiable, must be, made payable to order or to bearer. So also the order generally expresses a specified time of payment, and that it is drawn for value. The person who draws the bill is called the drawer, the person on whom it is drawn is, before acceptance, called the drawee, – after acceptance, the acceptor; the person to whom the money is directed to be paid is called the payee. The person making the order may himself be the payee. The bill itself is frequently called a draft. See
Exchange
.
Chitty.
–
Bill of fare
,
a written or printed enumeration of the dishes served at a public table, or of the dishes (with prices annexed) which may be ordered at a restaurant, etc.
–
Bill of health
,
a certificate from the proper authorities as to the state of health of a ship's company at the time of her leaving port.
–
Bill of indictment
,
a written accusation lawfully presented to a grand jury. If the jury consider the evidence sufficient to support the accusation, they indorse it “A true bill,” otherwise they write upon it “Not a true bill,” or “Not found,” or “Ignoramus”, or “Ignored.”
–
Bill of lading
,
a written account of goods shipped by any person, signed by the agent of the owner of the vessel, or by its master, acknowledging the receipt of the goods, and promising to deliver them safe at the place directed, dangers of the sea excepted. It is usual for the master to sign two, three, or four copies of the bill; one of which he keeps in possession, one is kept by the shipper, and one is sent to the consignee of the goods.
–
Bill of mortality
,
an official statement of the number of deaths in a place or district within a given time; also, a district required to be covered by such statement;
as, a place within the
bills of mortality
of London
.
–
Bill of pains and penalties
,
a special act of a legislature which inflicts a punishment less than death upon persons supposed to be guilty of treason or felony, without any conviction in the ordinary course of judicial proceedings.
Bouvier.
Wharton.
–
Bill of parcels
,
an account given by the seller to the buyer of the several articles purchased, with the price of each.
–
Bill of particulars
(Law)
,
a detailed statement of the items of a plaintiff's demand in an action, or of the defendant's set-off.
–
Bill of rights
,
a summary of rights and privileges claimed by a people. Such was the declaration presented by the Lords and Commons of England to the Prince and Princess of Orange in 1688, and enacted in Parliament after they became king and queen. In America, a bill or declaration of rights is prefixed to most of the constitutions of the several States.
–
Bill of sale
,
a formal instrument for the conveyance or transfer of goods and chattels.
–
Bill of sight
,
a form of entry at the customhouse, by which goods, respecting which the importer is not possessed of full information, may be provisionally landed for examination.
–
Bill of store
,
a license granted at the customhouse to merchants, to carry such stores and provisions as are necessary for a voyage, custom free.
Wharton.
–
Bills payable
(
pl.
),
the outstanding unpaid notes or acceptances made and issued by an individual or firm.
–
Bills receivable
(
pl.
),
the unpaid promissory notes or acceptances held by an individual or firm.
McElrath.
–
A true bill
,
a bill of indictment sanctioned by a grand jury.

Bill

,
Verb.
T.
1.
To advertise by a bill or public notice.
2.
To charge or enter in a bill;
as, to
bill
goods
.

Webster 1828 Edition

Bill

BILL

, n.
1.
The beak of a fowl.
2.
An instrument used by plumbers, basket makers and gardeners, made in the form of a crescent, and fitted with a handle. When short, it is called a hand-bill; when long, a hedge-bill. It is used for pruning trees, &c.

Definition 2024

Bill

Bill

See also: bill and bíll

English

Proper noun

Bill

  1. A diminutive of the male given name William.
    • 1974 John le Carré, Tinker. Tailor, Soldier, Spy, Simon&Schuster, 2002, ISBN 0743457900, page 7
      "My other name's Bill," he said. "I was christened Bill but Mr Thursgood calls me William." / "Bill, eh. The unpaid Bill. Anyone ever call you that?" / "No, sir." / "Good name, anyway." / "Yes, sir." / "Known a lot of Bills. They've all been good 'uns."
    • 1998 Nick Hornby, About A Boy, Victor Gollancz, 1998, ISBN 0575061596, page 208
      One of his neighbours opposite, a nice old guy with a stoop and a horrible little Yorkshire terrier, called him Bill - always had done and presumably always would, right up till the day he died. It actually irritated Will, who was not, he felt, by any stretch of the imagination, a Bill. Bill wouldn't smoke spliffs and listen to Nirvana. So why had he allowed this misapprehension to continue? Why hadn't he just said, four years ago, "Actually my name is Will"?
  2. (Britain, slang) A nickname for the British constabulary. Often called "The Bill" or "Old Bill"
  3. (US, slang) One Hundred Dollars.

Translations

References

Portuguese

Proper noun

Bill m

  1. A male given name, equivalent to English Bill

Swedish

Etymology

From English Bill. First recorded as a Swedish given name in 1895.

Proper noun

Bill

  1. A male given name.
    • 1994 Maria Gripe, Egna världar, ISBN 9163830302, page 272:
      —Vem är Bill, mamma?
      Jag väntade mig inget svar, men mamma skrattade:
      —Vet du inte det? Jo, det kommer från farmor. När pappa var liten brukade hon på skoj kalla honom för Bill...Lille Bill...Vilde Bill...Det tog han efter sen och kallade sig ofta Bill. Fast för min del sa jag alltid Birger.

bill

bill

See also: Bill and bíll

English

Noun

bill ‎(plural bills)

  1. Any of various bladed or pointed hand weapons, originally designating an Anglo-Saxon sword, and later a weapon of infantry, especially in the 14th and 15th centuries, commonly consisting of a broad, heavy, double-edged, hook-shaped blade, with a short pike at the back and another at the top, attached to the end of a long staff.
    • (Can we date this quote?), Thomas Babington Macaulay
      France had no infantry that dared to face the English bows and bills.
    • 1786, Francis Grose, A Treatise on Ancient Armour and Weapons.
      In the British Museum there is an entry of a warrant, granted to Nicholas Spicer, authorising him to impress smiths for making two thousand Welch bills or glaives.
  2. A cutting instrument, with hook-shaped point, and fitted with a handle, used in pruning, etc.; a billhook.
  3. Somebody armed with a bill; a billman.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Strype to this entry?)
  4. A pickaxe, or mattock.
  5. (nautical) The extremity of the arm of an anchor; the point of or beyond the fluke.
Synonyms
Derived terms
Translations

Verb

bill ‎(third-person singular simple present bills, present participle billing, simple past and past participle billed)

  1. (transitive) To dig, chop, etc., with a bill.
Translations

Etymology 2

Old English bile, of unknown origin.

Noun

bill ‎(plural bills)

  1. The beak of a bird, especially when small or flattish; sometimes also used with reference to a turtle, platypus, or other animal.
    • 1595, The woosel cock so black of hue, With orange-tawny bill, The throstle with his note so true, The wren with little quill... — William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Act III, Scene I, line 125.
    • 2014 December 23, Olivia Judson, “The hemiparasite season [print version: Under the hemiparasite, International New York Times, 24–25 December 2014, p. 7]”, in The New York Times:
      […] The flesh [of the mistletoe berry] is sticky, and forms strings and ribbons between my thumb and forefinger. For the mistletoe, this viscous goop – and by the way, viscous comes to English from viscum – is crucial. The stickiness means that, after eating the berries, birds often regurgitate the seeds and then wipe their bills on twigs – leading to the seeds' getting glued to the tree, where they can germinate and begin the cycle anew.
  2. A beak-like projection, especially a promontory.
  3. (of a hat or cap) The peak or brim, serving as a shade to keep sun off the face and out of the eyes
Synonyms
Derived terms
Translations

Verb

bill ‎(third-person singular simple present bills, present participle billing, simple past and past participle billed)

  1. (obsolete) To peck.
  2. To stroke bill against bill, with reference to doves; to caress in fondness.
    • 1599, As the ox hath his bow, sir, the horse his curb and the falcon her bells, so man hath his desires; and as pigeons bill, so wedlock would be nibbling.
Translations

Etymology 3

Anglo-Norman bille, from Old French bulle, from Medieval Latin bulla ‎(“seal", "sealed document”). Compare bull.

Noun

bill ‎(plural bills)

  1. A written list or inventory. (Now obsolete except in specific senses or set phrases; bill of lading, bill of goods, etc.)
  2. A document, originally sealed; a formal statement or official memorandum. (Now obsolete except with certain qualifying words; bill of health, bill of sale etc.)
  3. A draft of a law, presented to a legislature for enactment; a proposed or projected law.
    • 1600, Why, I'll exhibit a bill in the parliament for the putting down of men. — William Shakespeare, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Act II, Scene I, line 28.
    • 2012 December 14, Simon Jenkins, “We mustn't overreact to North Korea boys' toys”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 188, number 2, page 23:
      David Cameron insists that his latest communications data bill is “vital to counter terrorism”. Yet terror is mayhem. It is no threat to freedom. That threat is from counter-terror, from ministers capitulating to securocrats.
  4. (obsolete, law) A declaration made in writing, stating some wrong the complainant has suffered from the defendant, or a fault committed by some person against a law.
  5. (US) A piece of paper money; a banknote.
    • 1830, Anon, The Galaxy of Wit: Or, Laughing Philosopher, Being a Collection of Choice Anecdotes, Many of Which Originated in or about "The Literary Emporium" — He gave the change for a three dollar bill. Upon examination, the bill proved to be counterfeit.
  6. A written note of goods sold, services rendered, or work done, with the price or charge; an invoice.
    • 1607, My lord, here is my bill. — William Shakespeare, Timon of Athens, Act III, Scene IV, line 85.
  7. A paper, written or printed, and posted up or given away, to advertise something, as a lecture, a play, or the sale of goods; a placard; a poster; a handbill.
    • 1595, In the meantime I will draw a bill of properties, such as our play wants. — William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Act I, Scene II, line 104.
    • She put up the bill in her parlor window. — Dickens.
  8. A writing binding the signer or signers to pay a certain sum at a future day or on demand, with or without interest, as may be stated in the document. A bill of exchange. In the United States, it is usually called a note, a note of hand, or a promissory note.
    • 1600, Ay, and Rato-lorum too; and a gentleman born, Master Parson; who writes himself Armigero, in any bill, warrant, quittance, or obligation, Armigero. — William Shakespeare, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Act I, Scene I, line 8.
Synonyms
Derived terms
Translations
See also

Verb

bill ‎(third-person singular simple present bills, present participle billing, simple past and past participle billed)

  1. (transitive) To advertise by a bill or public notice.
  2. (transitive) To charge; to send a bill to.
Synonyms
Translations

Etymology 4

Noun

bill ‎(plural bills)

  1. The bell, or boom, of the bittern.
    • Wordsworth
      The bittern's hollow bill was heard.

French

Noun

bill m ‎(plural bills)

  1. (law) bill (draft UK law)
  2. (Canada) bill (invoice in a restaurant etc)

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /bɪl/
  • Rhymes: -ɪl

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