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billon

 - 2 dictionary results

bil⋅lon

  [bil-uhn]
Use billon in a Sentence
–noun
1. an alloy used in coinage, consisting of gold or silver with a larger amount of base metal.
2. an alloy of silver with copper or the like, used for coins of small denomination.
3. any coin struck from such an alloy.
Origin:
1720–30; < F: debased metal, orig. ingot, equiv. to MF bille log (see billet 2 ) + -on n. suffix
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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bil·lon   (bĭl'ən)   
n.  

  1. An alloy of gold or silver with a greater proportion of another metal, such as copper, used in making coins.

  2. An alloy of silver with a high percentage of copper, used in making medals and tokens.


[French, from Old French, ingot, from bille, log; see billet2.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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