bullion

American  

[bool-yuhn] / ˈbʊl yən /

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.

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bullion British  

/ 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

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Other Word Forms

• bullionless adjective

Etymology

Origin of bullion

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

Example Sentences

Higher interest rates make the cost of non-interest bearing bullion more expensive and less appealing.

From MarketWatch

While geopolitical tensions typically support safe-haven demand, the inflationary impact of higher energy costs is pressuring bullion.

From The Wall Street Journal

And because gold pays no income, it is “intuitive” that bullion prices should struggle when interest rates rise, Ash said.

From MarketWatch

Not even gold has provided sanctuary, with bullion on Thursday dropping to its cheapest since the early-February precious metal implosion.

From MarketWatch

Ash said this was a “test” moment for gold, as central banks have continued to build out their bullion reserves.

From Barron's

Related Words

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