bonanza

American  

[buh-nan-zuh, boh-] / bəˈnæn zə, boʊ- /

noun

1. a rich mass of ore, as found in mining.

2. a source of great and sudden wealth or luck; a spectacular windfall.

   The play proved to be a bonanza for its lucky backers.

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bonanza British  

/ bəˈnænzə /

noun

1. a source, usually sudden and unexpected, of luck or wealth

2. a mine or vein rich in ore

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Etymology

Origin of bonanza

An Americanism first recorded in 1835–45; from Spanish: “calm sea, prosperity, abundance of minerals,” nasalized variant of Medieval Latin bonacia, alteration (with influence from Latin bonus “good,” possibly to avoid confusion with malus “bad”) of Latin malacia “calm sea,” from Greek malakía “softness” ( malak(ós) “soft” + -ia -ia )

Example Sentences

They reflect a cutthroat competition occurring between weight-loss drugmakers in the US, as they look to capitalise on a potential sales bonanza in the country, where the obesity rate among adults is roughly 40%.

From BBC

While that would sound like a bonanza for a kingdom still heavily leveraged to oil revenue, it is deeply concerning.

From The Wall Street Journal

In the weeks leading up to St. Patrick’s Day—which doubles as a national Guinness-drinking bonanza—he makes as many as a dozen visits a day to ask: “How’s it pouring?”

From The Wall Street Journal

From an investment perspective, West said that independent power producers will be major winners of the Texas data-center bonanza.

From MarketWatch

After three bleak years, hopes are high that the eurozone's industrial powerhouse will stage a recovery this year on the back of a public spending bonanza unleashed by Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

From Barron's

Related Words

• cash cow
• treasure trove