bullion
UK: ˈbʊliən | US: ˈbʊliən
n. gold or silver in bulk before coining, or valued by weight
n. a mass of precious metal, often in bars or ingots
bullion = bull<boil, bubble> + ion<noun suffix>
- bull<boil, bubble>: From Old French bouillon ("boiling, bubbling"), derived from Latin bullire ("to boil"). Historically, molten gold/silver was observed to bubble when refined.
- ion<noun suffix>: A nominalizing suffix in French, indicating a state or result (e.g., medallion).
Etymology Origin:
The word bullion traces back to the 14th century, originally referring to the process of boiling/melting precious metals. The French bouillon (boiling) metaphorically described the bubbling appearance of molten metal. Over time, it narrowed to denote the uncoined metal itself, retaining its association with raw value and weight.
The vault stored stacks of gold bullion.
Bullion prices fluctuate with market demand.
Pirates looted a ship carrying Spanish bullion.
Investors often buy bullion as a hedge against inflation.
The refinery purified the bullion before molding it into bars.