billon

[ bil-uhn ]

noun

1. an alloy used in coinage, consisting of gold or silver with a larger amount of base metal.
2. an alloy of silver with copper or the like, used for coins of small denomination.
3. any coin struck from such an alloy.

billon

/ ˈbɪlən /

noun

1. an alloy consisting of gold or silver and a base metal, usually copper, used esp for coinage
2. any coin made of such an alloy

Word History and Origins

Origin of billon¹

1720–30; < French: debased metal, originally ingot, equivalent to Middle French bille log ( billet ² ) + -on noun suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of billon¹

C18: from Old French: ingot, from bille log; see billet ²

Example Sentences

The particular coins so designated, were billon or copper, and are described in Lindsay's "Coinage of Scotland," p. 183.

From Project Gutenberg

From Severus onwards the silver coinage had in fact become "mere billon money," mostly copper.

From Project Gutenberg

The same result could be got by taking the billon money of Florence and calculating from its silver contents.

From Project Gutenberg

In this rsum the mention of billon money has been generally avoided, as unduly complicating the subject.

From Project Gutenberg

The gold coins do not so signally fail; it is in the inferior metals, especially the billon and copper, that the difficulty lies.

From Project Gutenberg