bonanza

English[edit]

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

bonanza (plural bonanzas)

In mining, a rich mine or vein of silver or gold.
The point at which two mother lodes intersect
By extension, anything which is a mine of wealth or yields a large income or return.
- 2013 August 31, Bagehot, “The parable of the Clyde”, The Economist, 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.
The popular show quickly became a ratings bonanza for the network.

rich mine or vein of silver or gold

point at which two mother lodes intersect

something that is a mine of wealth or yields a large income or return