bill

Bill

BILL

A declaration in writing. A document listing separate items. An itemized account of charges or costs. Inequitypractice, the firstpleadingin the action, the paper in which the plaintiff sets out his or her case and demands relief from the defendant.

Many states require that laws must be passed by their state legislatures in the form of a bill. For example, the Texas Constitution requires that "no law shall be passed, except by bill, and no bill shall be so amended in its passage through either House, as to violent change its original purpose." Tex. Const. art. III, § 30. Likewise, the California Constitution may not make any law except by statute and may not make any statute except by bill. Cal. Const. art. IV, § 8(b). In some instances, however, a joint resolution that is enacted in the same manner as a bill may have the same force of law as a statute enacted through the passage of a bill.

A bill of indictment is a formal written document accusing someone of having committed a crime. It is presented to a grand jury for its consideration and decision whether to act on it. A bill of rights is a formal declaration that the people have certain rights and liberties. Rights are often asserted when there is a change in government, and a bill of rights has been included in the federal and many state constitutions in the United States.

A bill of particulars itemizes all the facts making up a claim asserted in a lawsuit. It is delivered to the opposing party in order to sharpen the issues in dispute. A bill of review lists errors alleged to have been made by a trial court. It is presented to a court that has jurisdiction to correct those errors or reverse the decision.

A bill of costs is a certified, itemized statement of expenses incurred by the successful party in a lawsuit. Courts are generally empowered to order the losing party to reimburse the winning party for some or all of these expenses. A bill of sale is a writing that lists property exchanged in a bargain for money or something else of value.

A bill corresponds to the declaration made by the plaintiff when beginning a common-law action. Modern rules of pleading have merged the procedures for handling cases at law and in equity, and the modern equivalent of both the bill in equity and the declaration at law is the complaint.

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"Bill." West's Encyclopedia of American Law. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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bill

bill1 / bil/ • n. 1. an amount of money owed for goods supplied or services rendered, set out in a printed or written statement of charges: he was running up a bill of hundreds of dollars. 2. a draft of a proposed law presented to parliament for discussion: a debate over the civil rights bill. 3. a program of entertainment, esp. at a theater: she was top of the bill at America's leading vaudeville house. 4. a banknote; a piece of paper money: a ten-dollar bill. 5. a poster or handbill: the circus promoters were posting bills all over town. • v. [tr.] 1. (usu. be billed) list (a person or event) in a program: they were billed to appear but didn't show up. ∎  (bill someone/something as) describe someone or something in a particular, usually promotional, way, esp. as a means of advertisement: he was billed as “the new Sean Connery.” 2. send a note of charges to (someone): we shall be billing them for the damage caused. ∎  charge (a sum of money): we billed her $400,000. PHRASES: fit (or fill) the bill be suitable for a particular purpose: a partner is an ally or a companion, and you don't seem to fit the bill.DERIVATIVES: bill·a·ble adj. bill2 • n. the beak of a bird, esp. 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. ∎  Brit. a stiff brim at the front of a cap. • v. [intr.] (of birds, esp. doves) stroke bill with bill during courtship. PHRASES: bill and coo inf. exchange caresses or affectionate words; behave or talk in a very loving or sentimental way.DERIVATIVES: billed adj. [usu. in comb.] the red-billed weaverbird. bill3 • n. a medieval weapon like a halberd with a hook instead of a blade.

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"bill." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"bill." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-bill005.html

"bill." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-bill005.html

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bill

bill bill of health a certificate relating to the incidence of infectious disease on ship or in port at time of sailing; from this comes the phrase a clean bill of health to mean a declaration or confirmation that someone is healthy or that something is in good condition.
Bill of Rights a legal statement of the rights of a class of people, in particular: the English constitutional settlement of 1689, confirming the deposition of James II and the accession of William and Mary, guaranteeing the Protestant succession, and laying down the principles of parliamentary supremacy; the first ten amendments to the Constitution of the US, ratified in 1791.

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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "bill." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "bill." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-bill.html

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Bill

Bill ♂ Altered short form of William, not used before the 19th century. The reason for the change in the initial consonant is not clear, but it conforms to the pattern regularly found when English words beginning with w- are borrowed into Gaelic. The nickname ‘King Billy’ for William of Orange is an early example from Ireland, which may have influenced English usage. It is bestowed occasionally as a name in its own right.

Pet forms: Billy, Billie.

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PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Bill." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Bill." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Bill.html

PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Bill." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Bill.html

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bill

bill3 †written document; †legal statement of a case; †list, catalogue, XIV; note of charges, account; poster XV; draft of an act of parliament XVI. — AN. bille or AL. billa, of uncert. orig.
Hence bill vb.2 enter in a bill XIV; announce by bill XVII.

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T. F. HOAD. "bill." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

T. F. HOAD. "bill." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-bill2.html

T. F. HOAD. "bill." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-bill2.html

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bill

bill2 beak. OE. bile, not elsewhere in Gmc.; perh. from same base as prec.
Hence bill vb.1 peck XIII; stroke or caress with the bill XVI.

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T. F. HOAD. "bill." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

T. F. HOAD. "bill." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-bill1.html

T. F. HOAD. "bill." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-bill1.html

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bill

bill1 (hist.) weapon of war (sword or halberd); pruning-hook. OE. bil = OS. bill, OHG. billi :- WGmc. *bilja.

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T. F. HOAD. "bill." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

T. F. HOAD. "bill." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-bill.html

T. F. HOAD. "bill." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-bill.html

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bill

bill n.
1. the point of an anchor fluke.

2. a stiff brim at the front of a cap.

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"bill." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"bill." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O63-bill.html

"bill." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O63-bill.html

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bill

billbill, Brazil, brill, Camille, chill, cookchill, dill, distil (US distill), downhill, drill, Edgehill, Estoril, fill, freewill, frill, fulfil (US fulfill), Gill, goodwill, grill, grille, hill, ill, instil, kill, krill, mil, mill, nil, Phil, pill, quadrille, quill, rill, Seville, shill, shrill, sill, skill, spadille, spill, squill, still, stock-still, swill, thill, thrill, till, trill, twill, until, uphill, will •hwyl • bank bill • handbill • waxbill •playbill, waybill •cranesbill • sibyl • crossbill • sawbill •hornbill • storksbill • shoebill •spoonbill • duckbill • razorbill •gerbil • wind chill • Churchill • idyll •daffodil • back-fill • landfill • monofil •fibrefill (US fiberfill) • chlorophyll •bluegill

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"bill." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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Free newspaper and magazine articles

Bills 17, Redskins 16.(Sports)
Newspaper article from: The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, VA); 12/3/2007
bills would give service members unrestricted access to hov lanes...
Newspaper article from: The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, VA); 2/3/2010
Bills Relating to dental hygiene signed into law, July 2007 through September...
Magazine article from: Access; 11/1/2008

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