billon

[ bil-uhn ]

/ ˈbɪl ən /

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noun

an alloy used in coinage, consisting of gold or silver with a larger amount of base metal.

an alloy of silver with copper or the like, used for coins of small denomination.

any coin struck from such an alloy.

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Origin of billon

1720–30; <French: debased metal, originally ingot, equivalent to Middle French bille log (see billet²) + -on noun suffix

Words nearby billon

bill of lading, bill of particulars, bill of quantities, Bill of Rights, bill of sale, billon, billow, billow cloud, billowy, billposter, Billroth

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use billon in a sentence

The particular coins so designated, were billon or copper, and are described in Lindsay's "Coinage of Scotland," p. 183.
The Works of John Knox, Vol. 1 (of 6)|John Knox
From Severus onwards the silver coinage had in fact become "mere billon money," mostly copper.
The Evolution of States|J. M. Robertson
The same result could be got by taking the billon money of Florence and calculating from its silver contents.
The History of Currency, 1252 to 1896|William Arthur Shaw
In this rsum the mention of billon money has been generally avoided, as unduly complicating the subject.
The History of Currency, 1252 to 1896|William Arthur Shaw

The gold coins do not so signally fail; it is in the inferior metals, especially the billon and copper, that the difficulty lies.
The Confessions of a Collector|William Carew Hazlitt

British Dictionary definitions for billon

billon

/ (ˈbɪlən) /

noun

an alloy consisting of gold or silver and a base metal, usually copper, used esp for coinage

any coin made of such an alloy

Word Origin for billon

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012