A Bill Is a Beak, an Invoice and a Draft Law
A bill is a written statement of charges. Separate words with the same spelling mean a bird's beak and a weapon.
A bill is a written statement of money owed, a draft law, or in American English a banknote. Two other words share the spelling and neither is related: a bird's *bill*, from Old English *bile*, and the *billhook*, a curved cutting tool descended from a medieval polearm. The document sense comes from Latin *bulla*, a seal or sealed document — the same word that gives *bulletin* and *papal bull*, since a bull is named after the lead seal attached to it.
- A statement of charges. *The restaurant bill.*
- A draft law. *A parliamentary bill.*
- A banknote (US). *A ten dollar bill.*
- A bird's beak. *A duck's bill.*
- Latin — *bulla*, a seal. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | bill | A bill. |
| Plural | bills | Bills. |
| Verb | bill | Bill them. |
| Compound | billhook | A billhook. |
| Latin | bulla | A seal. |
- Could we have the bill, please.Restaurant.
- The bill passed its second reading.Parliament.
- The duck's bill filters water.Bird.
The bulla family
- Bill — a sealed written document
- Bulletin — a short official notice
- Papal bull — named for the lead seal, the *bulla*, attached to it
- Bullion — possibly from the same root, of sealed metal
- Bull in the sense of nonsense is unrelated
Anglo-Latin *billa*, from Latin *bulla*, a seal or sealed document. The beak is Old English *bile*.
Why is a papal document called a bull?
From bulla, the lead seal attached to it. The document took the name of its seal.
Is a bird's bill the same word?
No. That comes from Old English bile and is unrelated to the document sense.