billon

American  

[bil-uhn] / ˈbɪl ən /

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.

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billon British  

/ 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

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Etymology

Origin of billon

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

Example Sentences

Food delivery operating loss per order is expected to rise in 4Q, resulting in a segment loss of around 13 billon yuan, the analysts say.

From The Wall Street Journal

Ouattara, 83, won 89.8% of the vote, the electoral commission said on Monday, and businessman Jeal-Louis Billon came a distant second with only 3.09%.

From BBC

Former trade minister and agri-businessman Jean-Louis Billon, 60, hopes to rally backers from his former stable, the Democratic Party.

From Barron's

Billon appeals to urban voters and the central regions, promising to modernise the economy and foster generational change.

From BBC

US business royalty sat down with UK royalty and served up a £150 billon investment into the UK over the coming years.

From BBC