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Webster 1913 Edition

Bullion

Bul′lion

(bụl′yŭn)
,
Noun.
[Cf. OE.
bullyon
a hook used for fastening the dress, a button, stud, an embossed ornament of various kinds, e. g., on the cover of a book, on bridles or poitrels, for purses, for breeches and doublets, LL.
bullio
the swelling of boiling water, a mass of gold or silver, fr. L.
bulla
boss, stud, bubble (see
Bull
an edict), or perh. corrupted fr. F.
billon
base coin, LL.
billio
bullion. Cf.
Billon
,
Billet
a stick.]
1.
Uncoined gold or silver in the mass.
☞ Properly, the precious metals are called bullion, when smelted and not perfectly refined, or when refined, but in bars, ingots or in any form uncoined, as in plate. The word is often often used to denote gold and silver, both coined and uncoined, when reckoned by weight and in mass, including especially foreign, or uncurrent, coin.
2.
Base or uncurrent coin.
[Obs.]
And those which eld’s strict doom did disallow,
And damm for
bullion
, go for current now.
Sylvester.
3.
Showy metallic ornament, as of gold, silver, or copper, on bridles, saddles, etc.
[Obs.]
The clasps and
bullions
were worth a thousand pound.
Skelton.
4.
Heavy twisted fringe, made of fine gold or silver wire and used for epaulets; also, any heavy twisted fringe whose cords are prominent.

Webster 1828 Edition

Bullion

BULL'ION

,
Noun.
Uncoined gold or silver in the mass. The precious metals are called bullion, when smelted and not perfectly refined,or when refined,but in bars, ingots,or in any form uncoined, as in plate.

Definition 2024

bullion

bullion

See also: bouillon

English

gold bullion

Noun

bullion ‎(countable and uncountable, plural bullions)

  1. A bulk quantity of precious metal, usually gold or silver, assessed by weight and typically cast as ingots.
  2. (obsolete) base or uncurrent coin
    • Sylvester
      And those which eld's strict doom did disallow, / And damn for bullion, go for current now.
  3. (obsolete) showy metallic ornament, as of gold, silver, or copper, on bridles, saddles, etc.
    • Skelton
      The clasps and bullions were worth a thousand pound.
  4. (obsolete) A heavy twisted fringe, made of fine gold or silver wire and used for epaulets; also, any heavy twisted fringe whose cords are prominent.

Translations

Etymology

From Middle English bulloin, bullioun, from Anglo-Norman bullion, of obscure origin, perhaps from French bouillon, extending the sense to that of 'melting'. Middle Dutch boelioen ‎(“base metal”) seems to have come from the unrelated French billon.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [ˈbʊljən]

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