bimetallism

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a monetary standard in which two metals, usually gold and silver, are legal tender at a fixed ratio of value

   The government abandoned bimetallism when it adopted a gold-only currency standard.

2. 2
   noun

   the doctrine or policy of supporting such a two-metal monetary standard

   Bimetallism became a major issue in the nineteenth-century election campaign.

Borrowed from French bimetallisme, formed from bi- ("two") + metal + -isme. The name refers to a currency system resting on two monetary metals rather than one.

Topics