The term used in the UK for a cheque drawn by a bank as payment for goods or services. If one owes money to a creditor who, for some reason, doesn't think your cheques will be honoured, the bank can draw the money from your account and issue a cheque in its name, which is guaranteed not to bounce.

xunker and simonc helpfully tell me that these are called Cashier's/Certified Checks in the USA and Bank Cheque in New Zealand.