Where does “Bill” come from?
Bill is a short form of William, which comes from Anglo-Norman Willame, ultimately meaning "resolute protector" in its Germanic roots.
Bill (English): A nickname for the British constabulary. Often called "The Bill" or "Old Bill"
Definitions
- A nickname for the British constabulary. Often called "The Bill" or "Old Bill"
Ancestry of “Bill”, step by step
Bill traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English bill
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | bill | — |
| 2 | Old English | bil | a kind of sword or other bladed weapon,... |
| 3 | Frankish | billi | — |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | bilją | a cutting implement; blade; axe; sword; spike;... |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | harjaz | army; army leader; commander; warrior |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | kóryos | war; troops; army; war, troops |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱer- | to grow, to make grow, to nourish; to plait,... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | kr̥- | to turn, to bend |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | ker- | army |
via Middle English bille
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | bille | document |
| 2 | Anglo-Norman | bille | stick; baton; written decree, announcement |
| 3 | Old French | bulle | seal; a letter sealed with a bull |
| 4 | Medieval Latin | bulla | seal; sealed document; seal capsule; seal",... |
| 5 | Latin | bulla | a bubble; a swollen or bubble-shaped object,... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰel- | to sound; to speak, roar, bark; shiny, white; to... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰōl- | — |