bill
UK[bɪl]US[bɪl]
n
A written statement of money owed for goods or services.
n
A draft of a proposed law presented to parliament for discussion.
n
The hard, pointed mouthparts of a bird; a beak.
n
A piece of paper money; a banknote.
v
To send a statement of charges to someone.
Etymology
The word 'bill' has a fascinating journey from a specific physical feature to abstract financial and legal concepts. It originates from the Proto-Germanic 'beljǭ', meaning a swelling or a rounded object, which evolved into Old English 'bile', referring specifically to a bird's beak. The semantic connection to a written document likely arose in Medieval Latin ('bulla' meaning a sealed document or papal edict, from the Latin for 'bubble', a rounded object like a seal). In English, the meaning extended from an official document bearing a seal to any formal list or statement, such as an invoice or a legislative proposal. The sense of paper money also derives from its nature as a promissory note or bill of credit.
Analysis
This is a simplex word of Germanic origin. The modern English form derives directly from the Old English 'bile', meaning beak.
Examples
The restaurant will bill us for the meal next week.
The senator introduced a new environmental protection bill.
The sparrow had a seed firmly held in its bill.