Biller

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An individual or organization that prepares and distributes invoices for products or services provided
2. A person or company that issues billing statements to inform clients of outstanding debts or payment requirements
3. A person or organization responsible for creating and sending invoices to clients for goods or services supplied

Etymology: "Biller" is a plain formation: the noun "bill" with the agent suffix "-er," meaning one who does the action named by the base. Here the action is billing, sending a bill, the itemised statement of money owed for goods or services. The suffix has a long ancestry. It descends from a Latin ending "-arius," which Old French turned into "-ier," and English took in during the Middle Ages as "-er." English already had its own native agent ending, Old English "-ere," so the suffix was reinforced by two streams at once. That is why English speakers could attach "-er" freely to words like "baker" and "writer" for centuries. "Bill" itself predates the suffix by a wide margin, so "biller" is a comparatively modern combination: the base was long established, and the agent noun followed naturally once billing became a common commercial activity.

Synonyms: invoicer, creditor