bill1
n.
- a printed or written statement of the money owed for goods or services.
- a draft of a proposed law presented to parliament for discussion.
- a programme of entertainment at a theatre or cinema.
- N. Amer. a banknote.
- a poster or handbill.
v.
- list (a person or event) in a programme.
▸
(bill someone/thing as)
proclaim someone or something as.
- send a bill to.
▸charge (a sum of money).
Phrase
- fit
(or fill)
the bill
be suitable for a particular purpose.
Derivative
Etymology
ME (denoting a written list or catalogue): from Anglo-Norman Fr. bille, prob. based on med. L. bulla ‘seal, sealed document’.
bill2
n.
- the beak of a bird, especially when it is slender, flattened, or weak, or belongs to a web-footed bird or a bird of the pigeon family.
▸the muzzle of a platypus.
- N. Amer. the peak of a cap.
- the point of an anchor fluke.
-
[in place names]
a narrow promontory:
Portland Bill.
v.
(of birds, especially doves) stroke bill with bill during courtship.
Phrase
- bill and coo
informal behave or talk in a loving and sentimental way.
Derivative
Etymology
OE bile, of unknown origin.
bill3
n.
a medieval weapon like a halberd with a hook instead of a blade.
Etymology
OE bil, of W. Gmc origin.