bonanza
pronunciation
How to pronounce bonanza in British English:
UK [bəˈnænzə]
How to pronounce bonanza in American English:
US [bəˈnænzə]
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- Noun:
- an especially rich vein of precious ore
- a sudden happening that brings good fortune (as a sudden opportunity to make money)
Word Origin
- bonanza
- bonanza: [19] Bonanza entered the language via American English from Spanish, where bonanza means ‘prosperity’, or literally ‘good weather’. It came from an unrecorded general Romance *bonacia, a derivative of Latin bonus ‘good’. (Other English words acquired ultimately from bonus – a descendant of Old Latin duenos – include bonbon [19], bonus [18], boon [14] (as in ‘boon companion’), bounty [13] (from Latin bonitas ‘goodness’), and perhaps bonny [15].) It appears to have been formed on the analogy of Latin malacia, as if this meant ‘bad weather’, from malus ‘bad’, although it in fact originally meant ‘calm at sea’, from Greek malakós.=> bonbon, bonny, bonus, boon, bounty
- bonanza (n.)
- 1844, American English, from Spanish bonanza "a rich lode," originally "fair weather at sea, prosperity," from Vulgar Latin *bonacia, from Latin bonus "good" (see bene-).
Example
- 1. Arctic governments are starting to see a bonanza in the melt .
- 2. The bonanza enjoyed by italy 's high-paid politicians must also be stopped .
- 3. However , no financial training or business school is claiming a bonanza .
- 4. That could mean more displaced senior executives looking for a new home-and a bonanza for employment lawyers .
- 5. That 's what has happened in mongolia for decades , leading to a mineral export bonanza and rapid economic growth .