bullion

[bool-yuhn]

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.

bullion

/ 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

Other Word Forms

• bullionless adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of bullion¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of bullion¹

C14 (in the sense: melted gold or silver): from Anglo-French: mint, probably from Old French bouillir to boil, from Latin bullīre

Example Sentences

Any coin issued under the laws of any state or any gold, silver, platinum or palladium bullion of a certain fineness, if a trustee keeps physical possession of it, are not included.

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Investors funneled record amounts of cash in recent months into an array of exchange-traded funds linked to bullion.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

South Africa’s gold-mining sector has churned out nearly half the gold ever produced, and used in bullion and jewelry.

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A working gold toilet seems a much better use of bullion than, say, making it into bars and then just having it sit, useless, in vaults in Fort Knox.

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Even though bullion futures were holding on steady on Friday, gold-mining stocks opened in the red.

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Related Words

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