noun ·2 syllables ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   Any of several alloys of precious metals and base metals that are used (where legal) to make coins, medals etc. countable, uncountable

Etymology

Borrowed from French billon, from Old French bille (“stick of wood”).

Related phrases

base metalprecious metal

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.