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

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

From Washington Times • Dec. 10, 2023

St. Louis, of France, issued the black coin made of billon.

From The Continental Monthly, Vol. 6, No. 6, December 1864 Devoted To Literature And National Policy by Various