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bonanza - 4 dictionary results

bo⋅nan⋅za

  [buh-nan-zuh, boh-]
Use bonanza in a Sentence
–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.
Origin:
1835–45, Americanism; < Sp: lit., smooth sea (hence, good luck, rich vein of ore), nasalized var. of ML bonacia, equiv. to L bon(us) good + (mal)acia calm sea < Gk malakía softness (malak(ós) soft + -ia -ia )
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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bo·nan·za   (bə-nān'zə)   
n.  
  1. A rich mine, vein, or pocket of ore.
  2. A source of great wealth or prosperity.

[Spanish, from Medieval Latin bonacia, calm sea, blend of Latin bonus, good; see deu-2 in Indo-European roots, and Medieval Latin malacia, calm sea (from Greek malakiā, from malakos, soft; see mel-1 in Indo-European roots).]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Bonanza

Bo*nan"za\, n. [Sp., prop. calm., fair weather, prosperity, fr. L. bonus good.] In mining, a rich mine or vein of silver or gold; hence, anything which is a mine of wealth or yields a large income. [Colloq. U. S.]
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : bonanza
Spanish: prosperidad, bonanza,
German: die Glückssträhne,
Japanese: 大当たり
More Translations »

bonanza 
1844, Amer.Eng., from Sp. bonanza "a rich lode," originally "fair weather at sea, prosperity," from V.L. *bonacia, from L. bonus "good."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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