bill of exchange
Preserved but no longer current.
An order transferring a named sum of money at a given date from the debtor ("drawee") to the creditor ("drawer"). The drawee having signed the bill becomes the "acceptor," and the document is then negotiable in commercial circles just as is money itself.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “bill of exchange” mean?
An order transferring a named sum of money at a given date from the debtor ("drawee") to the creditor ("drawer"). The drawee having signed the bill becomes the "acceptor," and the document is then negotiable in commercial circles just as is money itself.
Is “bill of exchange” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.