bonanza
English
Etymology
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”).
Pronunciation
Noun
bonanza (plural bonanzas)
- (mining) A rich mine or vein of silver or gold.
- Antonym: borrasca
- The point at which two mother lodes intersect.
- (by extension) Anything which is a mine of wealth or yields a large income or return.
- Synonym: mother lode
- 2013 August 31, Bagehot, “The parable of the Clyde”, in 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.
Translations
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
|
Spanish
Etymology
From Vulgar Latin *bonacia, alteration of malacia.[1]
Noun
bonanza f (plural bonanzas)
- good weather
- bloom, flourishing
- Synonym: prosperidad
Descendants
- → English: bonanza
References
- ^ “bonanza”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014
Categories:
- English terms borrowed from Spanish
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- English terms derived from Medieval Latin
- English terms with audio links
- Rhymes:English/ænzə
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- English nouns
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- en:Mining
- English terms with quotations
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- Spanish terms derived from Vulgar Latin
- Spanish lemmas
- Spanish nouns
- Spanish countable nouns
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