bonanza
/bəˈnæn.zə/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 3.05 in modern English
18
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
3
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
The point at which two mother lodes intersect.
name
A city in Klamath County, Oregon, United States.
Example Sentences
- "The popular show quickly became a ratings bonanza for the network."
- "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."
- "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."
- "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."
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”).
Origin
- Source language: Latin