noun
- plural of bimetallism; systems or theories based on the use of two metals (typically gold and silver) as the standard of value in a monetary system
Usage: economics; historical
Examples
- Nineteenth-century economists debated various bimetallisms as alternatives to single-metal currency standards.
- Different nations experimented with bimetallisms to stabilize their economies during periods of monetary uncertainty.
- The bimetallisms proposed in the 1890s aimed to increase the money supply by backing currency with both gold and silver.
- Historical bimetallisms often failed because the ratio between the two metals fluctuated in world markets.