different between bill vs cheque

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /b?l/, [b??], enPR: bîl
• Rhymes: -?l

Etymology 1

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

Noun

bill (plural bills)

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.

   • France had no infantry that dared to face the English bows and bills.

   • 1786, Francis Grose, A Treatise on Ancient Armour and Weapons.

     In the British Museum there is an entry of a warrant, granted to Nicholas Spicer, authorising him to impress smiths for making two thousand Welch bills or glaives.

   Synonym: polearm

2. A cutting instrument, with hook-shaped point, and fitted with a handle, used in pruning, etc.; a billhook.

   Synonyms: billhook, hand bill, hedge bill

3. Somebody armed with a bill; a billman.

   Synonym: 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).

Derived terms

• brown-bill

Translations

Verb

bill (third-person singular simple present bills, present participle billing, simple past and past participle billed)

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

Translations

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

bill (plural bills)

1. The beak of a bird, especially when small or flattish; sometimes also used with reference to a platypus, turtle, or other animal.
   • 1595, William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Act III, Scene I, line 125.

     The woosel cock so black of hue, With orange-tawny bill, The throstle with his note so true, The wren with little quill...

   Synonyms: beak, neb, nib, pecker

2. A beak-like projection, especially a promontory.
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.

Derived terms

• duckbill

Translations

Verb

bill (third-person singular simple present bills, present participle billing, simple past and past participle billed)

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

   • As the ox hath his bow, sir, the horse his curb and the falcon her bells, so man hath his desires; and as pigeons bill, so wedlock would be nibbling.

Translations

Etymology 3

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

Noun

bill (plural bills)

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.)
4. A draft of a law, presented to a legislature for enactment; a proposed or projected law.
   • 1600, William Shakespeare, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Act II, Scene I, line 28.

     Why, I'll exhibit a bill in the parliament for the putting down of men.

   Synonym: measure

5. (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.
   • 1853, Charles Dickens, Bleak House, ch 1:

     ... the legion of bills in the suit have been transformed into mere bills of mortality ...

6. (US, Canada) A piece of paper money; a banknote.
7. A written note of goods sold, services rendered, or work done, with the price or charge; an invoice.
   • 1607, William Shakespeare, Timon of Athens, Act III, Scene IV, line 85.

     My lord, here is my bill.

   Synonyms: account, invoice

9. A paper, written or printed, and posted up or given away, to advertise something, as a lecture, a play, or the sale of goods

   Synonyms: broadsheet, broadside, card, circular, flier, flyer, handbill, poster, posting, placard, notice, throwaway

   • 1595, William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Act I, Scene II, line 104.

     In the meantime I will draw a bill of properties, such as our play wants.

10. 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.
    • 1600, William Shakespeare, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Act I, Scene I, line 8.

      Ay, and Rato-lorum too; and a gentleman born, Master Parson; who writes himself Armigero, in any bill, warrant, quittance, or obligation, Armigero.

    Synonyms: bank bill, banker's bill, bank note, banknote, Federal Reserve note, government note, greenback, note

11. A set of items presented together.

Derived terms

Translations

See also

• check

Verb

bill (third-person singular simple present bills, present participle billing, simple past and past participle billed)

1. (transitive) To advertise by a bill or public notice.

   Synonym: placard

2. (transitive) To charge; to send a bill to.

   Synonym: charge

   • 1989, Michelle Green, Understanding Health Insurance: A Guide to Billing and Reimbursement

     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.

Translations

Etymology 4

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

bill (plural bills)

1. The bell, or boom, of the bittern.
   • 1793, William Wordsworth, An Evening Walk

     The bittern's hollow bill was heard.

Cimbrian

Etymology 1

From Middle High German wille, from Old High German willo, from Proto-Germanic *wiljô (“will, wish, desire”). Cognate with German Wille, English will.

Noun

bill m

1. (Sette Comuni) will (legal document)

   Synonym: testamentén

Etymology 2

From Middle High German wilde, from Old High German wildi, from Proto-West Germanic *wilþ?, from Proto-Germanic *wilþijaz (“wild”). Cognate with German wild, English wild.

Adjective

bill (comparative billor, superlative dar billorste)

1. (Sette Comuni) wild, crazy, mad

Declension

Derived terms

• billa gòas
• billa hénna
• billar haano
• billar balt
• dorbillaran

References

• “bill” in Martalar, Umberto Martello; Bellotto, Alfonso (1974) Dizionario della lingua Cimbra dei Sette Communi vicentini, 1st edition, Roana, Italy: Instituto di Cultura Cimbra A. Dal Pozzo

French

Etymology

From English bill; doublet of bulle (“bubble”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bil/

Noun

bill m (plural bills)

1. (law) bill (draft UK law)
2. (Canada) bill (invoice in a restaurant etc)

Swedish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /b?l/
• Rhymes: -?l

Etymology 1

From Old Swedish bilder, from Old Norse bíldr, from Proto-Germanic *b?þlaz (“axe”). An instrumental derivation of *b?tan? (“to bite”). Closely related to bila (“broadaxe”).

Noun

bill c

1. (agriculture) a share; the cutting blade of a plough

Declension

Derived terms

• plogbill

Etymology 2

Borrowed from English bill, from Middle English bille, from Anglo-Norman bille, from Old French bulle, from Medieval Latin bulla (“seal, sealed document”). Doublet of bulla.

Noun

bill c

1. (law) a draft of a law in English-speaking countries

Declension

References

• bill in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)

English

Etymology

Influenced by exchequer, from Old French eschequier. See further etymology at check.

Pronunciation

• enPR: ch?k, IPA^(key): /t??k/
• Rhymes: -?k
• Homophones: check, Czech

Alternative forms

• check (US)

Noun

cheque (plural cheques)

1. (Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, Britain) A draft directing a bank to pay money to a named person or entity.

   I was not carrying cash, so I wrote a cheque for the amount.

   • 1848, John Stuart Mill, Principles of Political Economy, 1920, page 62,

     They do not, however, all deal with the same banker, and when A gives a cheque to B, B usually pays it not into the same but into some other bank.

   • 1999, Sam Seunarine, Office Procedures for the Caribbean, 2nd edition, reprinted 2001, page 126,

     Sometimes abbreviations are used (which would be explained on the statement) and only the last three figures of the cheque number may be given. ‘Sundries’ are cash or cheques paid into the account.

   • 2007, Eric Tyson, Tony Martin, Personal Finance for Canadians for Dummies, unnumbered page,

     You can avoid dealing with paper cheques — written or printed — by paying your bills online.

   • 2009, R. Rajesh, T. Sivagnanasithi, Banking Theory Law & Practice, Tata McGraw-Hill, New Delhi, page 206,

     The daily cheque clearings began around 1770 when bank clerks met at the Five Bells (a tavern in Lombard Street in the City of London) to exchange all their cheques in one place and settle the balances in cash.

Derived terms

Descendants

Translations

Further reading

• cheque on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

References

• Michael Quinion (2004) , “Cheque”, in Ballyhoo, Buckaroo, and Spuds: Ingenious Tales of Words and Their Origins, Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Books in association with Penguin Books, ?ISBN
• Douglas Harper (2001–2021) , “check”, in Online Etymology Dictionary

Asturian

Noun

cheque m (plural cheques)

1. cheque (a note promising to pay money to a named person or entity)

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from English cheque, from Middle English chek, borrowed from Old French eschec, from Medieval Latin scaccus, from Arabic ????? (š?h), borrowed from Persian ???? (šâh, “king”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??k/
• Hyphenation: che?que
• Rhymes: -?k

Noun

cheque m (plural cheques, diminutive chequeje n)

1. check, cheque (a note promising to pay money to a named person or entity)
2. voucher, used to pay a stated amount for a specific purpose.

Derived terms

• bankcheque
• betaalcheque
• chequeboek
• chequeverkeer

- vouchers

• dienstencheque
• ecocheque
• maaltijdcheque
• waardecheque

Related terms

• schaak

Galician

Etymology

From English cheque

Noun

cheque m (plural cheques)

1. cheque, blank cheque

Derived terms

• chequeira
• cheque en branco

Portuguese

Etymology

From English cheque, from Old French eschec, from Medieval Latin scaccus, from Arabic ????? (š?h), from Persian ???? (šâh, “king”), from Middle Persian ????????????????? (š?h), from Old Persian ???? (xš?ya?iya, “king”), from Proto-Indo-Iranian *ksayati (“he rules, he has power over”), from Proto-Indo-European *tke- (“to gain power over, gain control over”). Cognate of xeque.

Pronunciation

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /???.k?/
• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /???.ki/
• Hyphenation: che?que
• Rhymes: -?k(i)

Noun

cheque m (plural cheques)

1. cheque

Spanish

Etymology

From English cheque. Doublet of jaque.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?t??eke/, [?t??e.ke]

Noun

cheque m (plural cheques)

1. cheque, blank cheque

Derived terms

• chequera
• cheque en blanco

Adverb

cheque

1. (Honduras) well, fine, okay