Meaning and Origin
What does the name Bill mean? Keep reading to find the user submitted meanings, dictionary definitions, and more.
Origin and Meaning of Bill
User Submitted Origins
English
65%
Vietnamese
12%
American
12%
Hebrew
4%
Greek
4%
German
4%
User Submitted Meanings
- A submission from Australia says the name Bill means "With Gilded Helmet" and is of English origin.
- A submission from Virginia, U.S. says the name Bill means "Guardian".
- A submission from Canada says the name Bill means "Determined protector" and is of English origin.
International Interest
Also see international interest
Webster's Unabridged Dictionary
noun Bill
A beak, as of a bird, or sometimes of a turtle or other animal.
Etymology: OE. bile bille, AS. bile beak of a bird, proboscis; cf. Ir. & Gael. bil bile, mouth, lip, bird's bill. Cf. Bill a weapon
verb Bill
Senses
- To strike; to peck.(Obs)
- To join bills, as doves; to caress in fondness."As pigeons bill." [Shak.]
noun Bill
The bell, or boom, of the bittern
noun Bill
Senses
- 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.
- 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.]
- One who wields a bill; a billman.
- A pickax, or mattock.(Obs)
- [Naut] The extremity of the arm of an anchor; the point of or beyond the fluke.
Etymology: OE. bil, AS. bill bil; akin to OS. bil sword, OHG. bill pickax, G. bille. Cf. Bill bea�
verb Bill
To work upon ( as to dig, hoe, hack, or chop anything) with a bill.
noun Bill
Senses
- [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.
- 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)
- A form or draft of a law, presented to a legislature for enactment; a proposed or projected law.
- 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.]
- 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 .
- Any paper, containing a statement of particulars; as, a bill of charges or expenditures; a weekly bill of mortality; a bill of fare, etc.
Note: ☞ In the United States, it is usually called a note, a note of hand, or a promissory note.
Etymology: OE. bill bille, fr. LL. billaor 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
verb Bill
Senses
- To advertise by a bill or public notice.
- To charge or enter in a bill; as, to bill goods.
Other Dictionary Sources
- The entertainment offered at a public presentation
- Horny projecting mouth of a bird
- A brim that projects to the front to shade the eyes ("he pulled down the bill of his cap and trudged ahead")
- A cutting tool with a sharp edge ("he used a bill to prune branches off of the tree")
- A list of particulars (as a playbill or bill of fare)
- An itemized statement of money owed for goods shipped or services rendered ("he paid his bill and left")
- A statute in draft before it becomes law ("they held a public hearing on the bill")
- A sign posted in a public place as an advertisement
- An advertisement (usually printed on a page or in a leaflet) intended for wide distribution
- A piece of paper money (especially one issued by a central bank)
- Advertise especially by posters or placards ("He was billed as the greatest tenor since Caruso")
- Publicize or announce by placards
- Demand payment ("We were billed for 4 nights in the hotel, although we stayed only 3 nights")
Wiktionary
- A diminutive of the male given name William.
- (Britain, slang) A nickname for the British constabulary. Often called "The Bill" or "Old Bill"
Bill was also found in the following language(s): Azerbaijani, Portuguese, and Swedish