Dictionary

bonanza en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /bəˈnæn.zə/

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *melh₂-der. Ancient Greek μᾰλᾰκός (mălăkós) Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-i-eh₂ Proto-Hellenic *-íā Ancient Greek -ῐ́ᾱ (-ĭ́ā) Ancient Greek μᾰλᾰκῐ́ᾱ (mălăkĭ́ā)bor. Latin malacia ▲ Latin bonusinflu. Vulgar Latin *bonacia Spanish bonanzabor. English 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”).

Meanings

1. A rich mine or vein of silver or gold.
2. The point at which two mother lodes intersect.
3. (broadly, figuratively) Anything which is a great source of wealth or yields a large income or return.
   • 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. 2021 March 26, Peter S. Goodman, “In Suez Canal, Stuck Ship Is a Warning About Excessive Globalization”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
   • 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. 2013 August 31, Bagehot, “The parable of the Clyde”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8851:
   • The popular show quickly became a ratings bonanza for the network.
   • His [D. Trump's] domestic policy bill allocated a record $1 trillion to defense in 2026, including for technology such as autonomous drones. Silicon Valley executives and venture capitalists are eagerly eying that bonanza. 2025 August 4, Sheera Frenkel, “The Militarization of Silicon Valley”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC:

Forms

Antonyms

borrasca

Descendants

bonanza

Synonyms

mother lode

Translations (16)

id bonanza (something that is a mine of wealth or yields a large income or return) · uk бонанца (rich mine or vein of silver or gold) · uk золота жила (something that is a mine of wealth or yields a large income or return) · fi kultakaivos (something that is a mine of wealth or yields a large income or return) · pl bonanza (something that is a mine of wealth or yields a large income or return) · nl goudmijn (something that is a mine of wealth or yields a large income or return) · nl goudader (rich mine or vein of silver or gold) · hu aranybánya (something that is a mine of wealth or yields a large income or return) · ru бона́нца (point at which two mother lodes intersect) · uk золота жила (rich mine or vein of silver or gold) · fi emosuoni (rich mine or vein of silver or gold) · de Goldgrube (something that is a mine of wealth or yields a large income or return) · ru золото́е дно (something that is a mine of wealth or yields a large income or return) · ru бона́нца (rich mine or vein of silver or gold) · ko 노다지 (rich mine or vein of silver or gold) · pl bonanza (rich mine or vein of silver or gold)