DictionaryRoot: billon
Old French
billon
bar of precious metal; mint
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noun
bullion
BULL-yun/ˈbʊliən/
Gold or silver in bulk, especially as bars or ingots.
Etymology
Billon named a bar of precious metal, connecting bullion with metal in bulk rather than finished coins. Its history also reflects influence from a word meaning “boil,” through the notion of melting.