bill

Etymology 1

From Middle English bill, bille, bil, from Old English bil, bill (“a hooked point; curved weapon; two-edged sword”), from Proto-Germanic *bilją (“axe; sword; blade”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeyH- (“to strike; beat”). Cognate with West Frisian bile (“axe”), Dutch bijl (“axe”), German Bille (“axe”).

noun

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.
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.
4. A pickaxe, or mattock.
5. (nautical) The extremity of the arm of an anchor; the point of or beyond the fluke (also called the peak).

verb

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

Etymology 2

From Middle English bill, bil, bille, bile, from Old English bile (“beak (of a bird); trunk (of an elephant)”), of unknown origin. Perhaps from a special use of Old English bil, bill (“hook; sword”) (see above).

noun

1. The beak of a bird, especially when small or flattish; sometimes also used with reference to a platypus, turtle, or other animal.
   […] 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. 23 December 2014, Olivia Judson, “The hemiparasite season [print version: Under the hemiparasite, International New York Times, 24–25 December 2014, page 7]”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 2014-12-23
2. A beak-like projection, especially a promontory.
   There is a lighthouse on Portland Bill.
3. Of a cap or hat: the brim or peak, serving as a shade to keep sun off the face and out of the eyes.

verb

1. (obsolete) to peck
2. to stroke bill against bill, with reference to doves; to caress in fondness

Etymology 3

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

noun

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.
   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. 2012-12-14, Simon Jenkins, “We mustn't overreact to North Korea boys' toys”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 188, number 2, page 23
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, Canada) A piece of paper money; a banknote.
   He gave the change for a three dollar bill. Upon examination, the bill proved to be counterfeit. 1830, anonymous author, The Galaxy of Wit: Or, Laughing Philosopher, Being a Collection of Choice Anecdotes, Many of Which Originated in or about "The Literary Emporium"
   […]So I wropped 'em up in a five dollar bill and tied 'em up and sent 'em, and they ain't back yet.” 1935, Cabins in the Laurel, University of North Carolina Press, published 19 March 2014, page 231
   I ran into the Devil, babe, he loaned me 20 bills. 1970, “Friend of the Devil”, performed by Grateful Dead
   1. (slang, Canada, US) One hundred dollars.
      There was no excuse, simply no excuse for not making four or five bills a week. A little initiative, that's all. 1954, Budd Schulberg, On the Waterfront, Random House, page 25
      All we got from her was Stranahan's location, and barely that. A house in the bay, she said. A house with a windmill. Easiest five bills that woman ever made. 1989, Carl Hiaasen, Skin Tight, Penguin Group, page 113
6. (slang, UK) One hundred pounds sterling.
   In the conversation Henshall says he "struggling to find people to go up the roads" explaining how it would be "no good for black people" and how they need a "young white boy to go up there". Stock agrees, saying how he knows "this kid" who "owes me 12 bills". 2023, BBC News: "Newport: Drugs gang jailed for exploiting vulnerable child" https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-66570256
7. A written note of goods sold, services rendered, or work done, with the price or charge; an invoice.
8. A paper, written or printed, and posted up or given away, to advertise something, as a lecture, a play, or the sale of goods
9. 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.
10. A set of items presented together.
    Meanwhile, the bills on the main stages skewed towards mainstream pop, with mixed results. Lorde’s Friday evening Other stage appearance was one of the weekend’s highlights. The staging and choreography were fantastic – a giant glass tank on a hydraulic platform, in and around which a troupe of dancers acted out the highs and lows of a teenage party June 26, 2017, Alexis Petridis, “Glastonbury 2017 verdict: Radiohead, Foo Fighters, Lorde, Stormzy and more”, in the Guardian

verb

1. (transitive) To advertise by a bill or public notice.
   … it will be recalled that in 1960 they were billed as the long-distance express multiple-units of the future, …. 1962 October, G. Freeman Allen, “First impressions of the Clacton electric multiple-units”, in Modern Railways, page 260
2. (transitive) To charge; to send a bill to.
   The physician explains that this is an option for her and that she can sign the facility's ABN so that if Medicare denies the claim, the facility can bill her for the scan. 1989, Michelle Green, Understanding Health Insurance: A Guide to Billing and Reimbursement

Etymology 4

noun

1. The bell, or boom, of the bittern.
   The bittern's hollow bill was heard. 1793, William Wordsworth, An Evening Walk