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

Explanation

If you wanted to rob Fort Knox and take all of its gold, you'd plan a heist to get the bullion. Bullion is gold or silver in bulk, often in the shape of a bar. Once upon a time, coins were made of actual precious metals. Before the coins were made, the gold and silver for them was stored bulk, in bullion. Try not to confuse this word with, bouillon, which is broth, or a cube of beef or chicken flavoring used to make broth. If you see the OU in the first syllable, it's a clue that it's the sOUp. If you just see a "bull," think of the stock market and glittery gold.

Example Sentences

He said they would get the money "shipped abroad" to buy as much "gold bullion and diamonds as possible".

From BBC • Apr. 21, 2026

This move expands the company’s finished product capacity to more than three million ounces a week, allowing it to reach more customers and shift the product mix toward higher-margin branded bullion.

From Barron's • Apr. 16, 2026

The company is involved in the entire downstream precious-metal supply chain—from refinery operations, the minting of investment-grade numismatic bullion, worldwide transportation, and storage services to online precious-metals retail.

From Barron's • Apr. 16, 2026

“The move suggests that bullion is beginning to rebuild momentum, although gains remain measured and still closely tied to currency and oil dynamics,” analysts at Sucden Financial said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

In fact, for over a decade, when Cleofes Apodaca was in his prime, frogs were as scarce in that town as camels and gold bullion.

From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols

Related Words

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