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 ( see billet ²) + -on noun suffix

Example Sentences

For the year, sales rose 5.6% to $75.05 billon.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 29, 2026

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 • Dec. 1, 2025

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

From BBC • Sep. 18, 2025

In October, Lopez ruled that Jones could not use bankruptcy protection to avoid paying more than $1.1 billon of that debt.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 27, 2023

Of billon monies there were eight distinct classes, representing a succession of fractional parts of the silver real, 1⁄6, 1⁄7, 1⁄8, 1⁄12, 1⁄16, 1⁄22, 1⁄24, 1⁄58.

From The History of Currency, 1252 to 1896 by Shaw, William Arthur