1. 1. Gold or silver considered with respect to quantity rather than value.
   2. 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).]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.