billig
Translation
cheap, inexpensive, low-cost, tacky
Examples
Das T-Shirt war sehr billig.
The T-shirt was very cheap.
Das ist nur eine billige Ausrede.
That's just a cheap excuse.
Grammar Patterns
sth. is billig sth. is cheap The food here is cheap.
Similar Words
Synonyms: günstig (favorable, inexpensive), preiswert (good value); Antonym: teuer (expensive)
Etymology
Derived from Middle High German 'billich', meaning 'fitting, fair, just'. The sense evolved from 'fairly priced' to simply 'low-priced'.
Memory Tips
Think of a 'bill' that is small and easy to pay. It's 'billig'. Note it can also mean 'tacky' or 'poor quality', just like 'cheap' in English.