bullion

[bool-yuhn]

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.

bullion

/ 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

Other Word Forms

• bullionless adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of bullion¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of bullion¹

C14 (in the sense: melted gold or silver): from Anglo-French: mint, probably from Old French bouillir to boil, from Latin bullīre

Example Sentences

A working gold toilet seems a much better use of bullion than, say, making it into bars and then just having it sit, useless, in vaults in Fort Knox.

Read more on MarketWatch

Even though bullion futures were holding on steady on Friday, gold-mining stocks opened in the red.

Read more on Barron's

The World Gold Council’s quarterly report, published on Thursday, showed that demand for bullion hit a record high over the third quarter thanks to a continued buying spree from investors and central banks.

Read more on Barron's

The move means bullion is now trading about 9% short of the record high it hit earlier this month.

Read more on Barron's

BlackRock’s Investment Institute, headed by Jean Boivin, thinks central bank buying will remain a “persistent factor” in boosting gold prices, and sees that bullion as a “tactical exposure in portfolios.”

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

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