bullion

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bullion

gold or silver in bars, ingots, or plates
Not to be confused with:
bouillon – a clear, thin broth
Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embree

bul·lion

 (bo͝ol′yən)
n.
1.
a. Gold or silver considered with respect to quantity rather than value.
b. Gold or silver in the form of bars, ingots, or plates.
2. A heavy lace trimming made of twisted gold or silver threads.

[Middle English, ingot of precious metal, from Anglo-Norman, from Old French billon (from bille, stick; see billon) and from Old French bouillon, bubble on the surface of boiling liquid (from boilir, to boil; see boil1).]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

bullion

(ˈbʊljən)
n
1. (Metallurgy) gold or silver in mass
2. (Metallurgy) gold or silver in the form of bars and ingots, suitable for further processing
3. (Metallurgy) Also called: bullion fringe a thick gold or silver wire or fringed cord used as a trimming, as on military uniforms
[C14 (in the sense: melted gold or silver): from Anglo-French: mint, probably from Old French bouillir to boil, from Latin bullīre]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

bul•lion

(ˈbʊl yən)

n.
1. gold or silver considered in mass rather than in value.
2. gold or silver in the form of bars or ingots.
3. lace, embroidery, or trimming worked with gold or silver threads, wire, or cord.
[1300–50; Middle English: melted mass of gold or silver < Anglo-Latin bulliō literally, a boiling]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.bullion - a mass of precious metalbullion - a mass of precious metal    
precious metal - any of the less common and valuable metals often used to make coins or jewelry
2.bullion - gold or silver in bars or ingots
block of metal, ingot, metal bar - metal that is cast in the shape of a block for convenient handling
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
Translations
سَبيكَةٌ ذَهَبِيّ÷ أو فِضِّيَه
prut zlata/stříbra
møntmetal
rúdarany
gull- eîa silfurstöng
aukso luitassidabro luitas
zelta/sudraba stienis
prúd zlata/striebra
külçe altın/gümüş

bullion

[ˈbʊljən] Noro m/plata f en barras or en lingotes
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

bullion

[ˈbʊlɪən] n (gold)or m en lingots; (silver)argent m en lingots
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

bullion

n no plGold-/Silberbarren pl
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

bullion

[ˈbʊljən] noro (or argento) in lingotti
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

bullion

(ˈbuliən) noun
gold or silver in bulk, not made into coins.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
References in classic literature ?
But by far the greater part of the silver consisted of bullion from the mines of South America, which the English buccaneers--who were little better than pirates--had taken from the Spaniards and brought to Massachusetts.
Until she could find another bank there was nothing to do but sew them up in her clothes, and so Marija went about for a week or more, loaded down with bullion, and afraid to cross the street in front of the house, because Jurgis told her she would sink out of sight in the mud.
Minute followed minute in which I looked at nothing, and could think of nothing, but the stolen bullion at my feet; then I gathered what of the dust I could, pocketed it in pinches to hide my meddlesomeness, and blew the rest away.
He threw them open, and behold, the cargoes of "crude bullion" of the assay offices of Nevada faded out of my memory.
He is all agleam with bullion, a blue-and-gold edition of the Poetry of War.
Our reserve of bullion is much larger at present than is usually kept in a single branch office, and the directors have had misgivings upon the subject."
And here let those Who boast in mortal things, and wondring tell Of BABEL, and the works of MEMPHIAN Kings, Learn how thir greatest Monuments of Fame, And Strength and Art are easily outdone By Spirits reprobate, and in an hour What in an age they with incessant toyle And hands innumerable scarce perform Nigh on the Plain in many cells prepar'd, That underneath had veins of liquid fire Sluc'd from the Lake, a second multitude With wondrous Art founded the massie Ore, Severing each kinde, and scum'd the Bullion dross: A third as soon had form'd within the ground A various mould, and from the boyling cells By strange conveyance fill'd each hollow nook, As in an Organ from one blast of wind To many a row of Pipes the sound-board breaths.
It was that of a man, from five to eight and thirty, in the uniform of a general officer, wearing the double epaulet of heavy bullion, that indicates superior rank, the ribbon of the Legion of Honor around his neck, which showed he was a commander, and on the right breast, the star of a grand officer of the order of the Saviour, and on the left that of the grand cross of Charles III., which proved that the person represented by the picture had served in the wars of Greece and Spain, or, what was just the same thing as regarded decorations, had fulfilled some diplomatic mission in the two countries.
Lastly, she was guardian over a little armoury of cutlasses and carbines, arrayed in vengeful order above one of the official chimney-pieces; and over that respectable tradition never to be separated from a place of business claiming to be wealthy - a row of fire-buckets - vessels calculated to be of no physical utility on any occasion, but observed to exercise a fine moral influence, almost equal to bullion, on most beholders.
Once he had gone on a gold-gathering expedition somewhere to the South, and ingeniously contrived to empty his pockets more thoroughly than ever; while others, doubtless, were filling theirs with native bullion by the handful.
'Besides which,' continued Mr Gregsbury, 'I should expect him, now and then, to go through a few figures in the printed tables, and to pick out a few results, so that I might come out pretty well on timber duty questions, and finance questions, and so on; and I should like him to get up a few little arguments about the disastrous effects of a return to cash payments and a metallic currency, with a touch now and then about the exportation of bullion, and the Emperor of Russia, and bank notes, and all that kind of thing, which it's only necessary to talk fluently about, because nobody understands it.
When you came to 201 there was a hearty welcome, a kind smile, a good dinner, and a jolly shake of the hand from the host and hostess there, just for all the world as if they had been undisputed masters of three or four thousand a year--and so they were, not in money, but in produce and labour--if they did not pay for the mutton, they had it: if they did not give bullion in exchange for their wine, how should we know?