bullion

American  

[bool-yuhn] / ˈbʊl yən /

noun

1. gold or silver considered in mass rather than in value.

2. gold or silver in the form of bars or ingots.

3. Also called bullion fringe.  a thick trimming of cord covered with gold or silver thread, for decorating uniforms.

4. embroidery or lace worked with gold wire or gold or silver cords.

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bullion British  

/ ˈbʊljən /

noun

1. gold or silver in mass

2. gold or silver in the form of bars and ingots, suitable for further processing

3. Also called: bullion fringe.  a thick gold or silver wire or fringed cord used as a trimming, as on military uniforms

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Other Word Forms

• bullionless adjective

Etymology

Origin of bullion

1300–50; Middle English: melted mass of gold or silver < Anglo-Latin bulliōn- (stem of bulliō ) in same sense (< Anglo-French bullion mint), literally, a boiling, equivalent to bull ( īre ) to bubble, boil ¹ + -iōn- -ion

Example Sentences

Also, “reflationary risks could prevent Fed rate cuts and further dampen bullion’s appeal, leaving it vulnerable to deeper pullbacks and volatility,” the senior market analyst adds.

From The Wall Street Journal

The People’s Bank of China also continued to purchase bullion for a 16th consecutive month as a global gold frenzy stretched into February.

From The Wall Street Journal

Updating the calculations for gold’s recent epic run, investment consultants Nicholas Conant and Mark Wood of Callan gave the cube some benefit of the doubt by enlarging it with all of the bullion since mined.

From The Wall Street Journal

Trading cards and collectibles, like bullion and coins, were standouts, the company said.

From MarketWatch

Spot gold ETFs track the price of physical gold bullion.

From Barron's

Related Words

• buck
• currency
• investment
• note
• payment
• refund
• reserve
• security
• stock
• supply