bonanza

Borrowed from Spanish bonanza (“dead calm, fair weather, good luck, rich lode”), from Vulgar Latin *bonacia (“lull, dead calm”), in turn from Latin malacia (“calm sea”), influenced by bonus (“good”) under the false impression that initial mal- is a derivate of malus (“bad”).

• IPA^(key): /bəˈnæn.zə/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: bo‧nan‧za
• Rhymes: -ænzə

bonanza (plural bonanzas)

1. (mining) A rich mine or vein of silver or gold.

   Antonym: borrasca

2. The point at which two mother lodes intersect.
3. (by extension, figurative) Anything which is a great source of wealth or yields a large income or return.

   Synonym: mother lode

   The popular show quickly became a ratings bonanza for the network.

   • 2013 August 31, Bagehot, “The parable of the Clyde”, in The Economist‎^[1], volume 408, number 8851:

     For two decades the bonanza on Scotland’s west coast continued. An occupation that had been seasonal and modestly profitable became year-round and lucrative. Baskets of herring put televisions into fishermen’s cottages and cars outside their doors. But fish, like oil and gas, with which Scotland’s continental shelf is also well-endowed, are not in unlimited supply.

   • 2021 March 26, Peter S. Goodman, “In Suez Canal, Stuck Ship Is a Warning About Excessive Globalization”, in The New York Times‎^[2], →ISSN:

     It has also yielded a bonanza for corporate executives and other shareholders: Money not spent filling warehouses with unneeded auto parts is, at least in part, money that can be given to shareholders in the form of dividends.

• → Polish: bonanza

• IPA^(key): /boˈnanθa/ [boˈnãn̟.θa]
• Rhymes: -anθa
• Syllabification: bo‧nan‧za

bonanza f (plural bonances)

1. good weather

Borrowed from Spanish bonanza (“calm sea, fair weather, good luck, rich lode”), from Medieval Latin bonacia (“fair weather”), a blend of bonus (“good”) +‎ malacia (“calm sea”).

• IPA^(key): /boˈnan.za/, [boˈnan.za]
• Rhymes: -za
• Hyphenation: bo‧nan‧za

bonanza (plural bonanza-bonanza)

1. bonanza, gold mine, lucky strike, sweet deal

• “bonanza” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.

Borrowed from English bonanza, from Spanish bonanza, from Vulgar Latin *bonacia, alteration of malacia.

• IPA^(key): /bɔˈnan.za/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -anza
• Syllabification: bo‧nan‧za

bonanza f

1. (literary, mining) bonanza (rich mine or vein of silver or gold)
2. (literary) gold mine, lucky strike, sweet deal (very profitable economic venture)

   Synonyms: dojna krowa, kokosowy interes, kopalnia złota, kura znosząca złote jajka, złoty interes, żyła złota

3. (colloquial) lark, snorter (unexpected, unusual event)

   Synonym: heca

• bonanza in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• bonanza in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Inherited from Vulgar Latin *bonacia, alteration of malacia.^[1] Compare Italian bonaccia (“dead calm”).

• IPA^(key): /boˈnanθa/ [boˈnãn̟.θa] (Spain)
• IPA^(key): /boˈnansa/ [boˈnãn.sa] (Latin America, Philippines)
• Rhymes: -anθa (Spain)
• Rhymes: -ansa (Latin America, Philippines)
• Syllabification: bo‧nan‧za

bonanza f (plural bonanzas)

1. (nautical) lull, dead calm (calm sea weather)
2. (figurative) bloom, flourishing

   Synonym: prosperidad

• “bonanza”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 10 December 2024